Ryan Murphy Admits His 'Predetermined Point of View' on the Menendez Brothers Changed While Making Monsters By Carson Blackwelder

Ryan Murphy says making Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story changed his perception of the titular brothers.

Appearing on the July 20 episode of the This Is Gavin Newsom podcast, Murphy, 59, said he began the project with a “predetermined point of view” and, throughout the making of the series and seeing the overwhelming reaction to it, saw that point of view evolve.

“We had an interesting writers’ room where I was the one person in the room who kept saying … ‘I don’t think they should get out,'” Murphy said.

“I was astonished at how I went into something with such a predetermined point of view and came out of it at the end of it thinking … where I am today is I really do think they should be released. I do think they should be paroled, and I did not think that when I started.”

In addition to his writers and cast, Murphy credited a famous friend for having contributed to his changing mindset on the Menendez brothers.

Murphy said he sent Kim Kardashian the show early, and she got “really obsessed” with it and visited Lyle and Erik in prison. After meeting them, she called Murphy up and told him she felt they deserved to be paroled.

“And I said, ‘Why?'” Murphy admitted.

He then explained that Kardashian noted the brothers were under 25 at the time of their parents’ murders and were not finished mentally developing, which he thought was an interesting point.

“They’ve been model prisoners,” Murphy said. “Also, I was very moved by their family recently, and how the family is so unified. And I guess it just begs the question, ‘If not now, when?'”

“What benefit to society do we have by keeping them in there if they can come out of prison and actually serve some good, right?” he continued. “I think that’s a powerful thing.”

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Newsom, the governor of California, revealed why he hasn’t watched Monsters yet.

Newsom recalled having a chat with Murphy before the series, where the TV mogul told him the show would reignite the interest in the Menendez case.

The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996 for the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez.

In May 2025, a judge resentenced Lyle, now 57, and Erik, now 54, to 50 years to life in prison, making them eligible for parole. Their parole hearings are scheduled for Aug. 21 and Aug. 22.

With Newsom set to sign off on the parole board potentially recommending the brothers’ release from prison, he said he resisted the temptation to watch Monsters should the paperwork land on his desk one day.

“I don’t want to be persuaded by something that’s not in the files,” the governor said of the show.

Murphy agreed, noting, “That’s heavy stuff.”

Monsters was recently nominated for 11 Emmys.

Among the notable Emmy nominations the show received was one for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Monsters is up against Adolescence, Black Mirror, Dying for Sex and The Penguin in the category.

Cooper Koch, who played Erik, also landed a nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category.

Additionally, Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny earned nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for playing José and Kitty, respectively.

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The 2025 Emmy Awards take place Sunday, Sept. 14, airing live on CBS and streaming live on Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is streaming on Netflix.