This infamous criminal case has proved incredibly divisive. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re breaking down the reactions of public figures — both positive and negative — to the wild legal saga of the Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're breaking down the reactions of public figures,
00:04both positive and negative, to the wild legal saga of the Menendez brothers, Lyle and Eric.
00:10Please note that due to this case's sensitive nature, the entries in this video are unranked,
00:15and all celebs to follow are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
00:22They both have the absolute right, the legitimate right, to have an opinion about their lives
00:28being shown on TV, on a show.
00:31This Oscar-winning Spanish actor is a passionate vocal advocate for a plethora of social issues,
00:36so it's perhaps not shocking that he took interest in the Menendez case.
00:40In fact, Bardem himself even admitted that Ryan Murphy's Monsters miniseries,
00:45detailing the lead-up to and aftermath of the Menendez brothers' crimes,
00:49might be the only project he's ever acted in without having to first read its script.
00:53This is a take, this is a version that Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan have done based on
01:02different reactions and different ideas.
01:06The No Country for Old Men star, who plays the brothers' allegedly abusive father Jose,
01:11lambasted the social conditions at the time of the Menendez trial,
01:14quote,
01:15where a man is a man and you cannot express any emotion and you can't share your weakness,
01:20and that creates so much harm around him.
01:22There is nothing written in stone, and the show doesn't want to say
01:26what is wrong and what is right.
01:28It just shows what happened based on the facts after a very thorough research.
01:33Sandra Bernhardt.
01:35What else have you been doing with your time?
01:36You've been working on other projects?
01:38Working on other projects.
01:39Films?
01:39Yes, yes.
01:40Live shows?
01:40Live shows, a little bit of everything, watching a lot of court TV.
01:43We should point out that in line with Javier Bardem's aforementioned comments,
01:47the 1990s were a radically different time in terms of
01:51societal attitudes towards victims of abuse.
01:53In particular, male victims of abuse.
01:56Riveted, riveted to the Menendez brothers' trial.
01:59I can't wait for the whole thing to wrap up.
02:02Because, you know, I love Leslie Abramson.
02:05Is she kicking the pants right now?
02:06Dr. Ozeal!
02:08Dr. Ozeal!
02:10While the truth in the case of the Menendez brothers is likely totally unknowable,
02:14the lack of empathy and even outright disdain for Lyle and Eric was palpable.
02:18The fact that the two men had killed their parents wasn't in question after their arrest.
02:23The kid's parents heard her screaming and asked them to kill them.
02:26I mean, it was like, who had listened to this woman?
02:28She's a shrew, a harpy, a nightmare.
02:31You didn't watch the trial?
02:33I don't get a chance to watch much TV.
02:35So public criticism of them largely focused on their background and demeanor in court.
02:40Case in point, veteran comedian and performer Sandra Bernhardt
02:43minced no words regarding her thoughts on the Menendez brothers
02:46on one of her many late show appearances.
02:48Oh, these two arrogant brothers are gonna fry.
02:54I don't cry.
02:56Please.
02:57And their Armani suits and their fabulous hair.
03:00Just now they're a little pasty, a little nervous, biting the fingernails down to the nubs.
03:04Pam Bozanich.
03:06Their behavior after the murders was startling.
03:10They went shopping.
03:11Now, I love a good shopping expedition, but this was crazy.
03:15While the name Pam Bozanich may not ring any bells to the average person,
03:19those familiar with the twisted torrid story of the Menendez brothers
03:22are all too aware of the role Bozanich played in the brothers' ordeal in court.
03:27An L.A. deputy district attorney at the time of the murders,
03:30Bozanich prosecuted Lyle and Eric during their first respective trials.
03:34These ended with a hung jury,
03:35and a second trial resulted in the brothers sentencing
03:38to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
03:41I'm telling you now, that whole defense was fabricated.
03:45And it was done artfully, but it was fabricated.
03:48And if I were an immoral person, I would have fabricated it much the same way.
03:53The outspoken Bozanich maintained a relatively low profile in the years following the trial,
03:58but resurfaced for Netflix's 2024 Menendez Brothers documentary,
04:03in which the litigator was far from tight-lipped about her feelings.
04:06Your beliefs are not facts.
04:09They're just beliefs.
04:10And by the way, all you TikTok people, I'm armed.
04:13We got guns all over the house.
04:14So don't mess with me.
04:16Kathy Griffin.
04:17I know they don't exactly have an airtight case, okay?
04:20Lyle went on a little bit of a spending spree a week after the murders,
04:23and he got a couple Rolexes and a $70,000 Porsche.
04:26But you know what?
04:27Sometimes you just have to treat yourself.
04:29This bawdy comedian is no stranger to criticism and controversy.
04:33In fact, she was the subject of a Secret Service investigation in 2017.
04:38This occurred after she engaged in a photo shoot
04:40perceived as a threat on the life of then-president Donald Trump.
04:44As such, it may not be a total surprise to learn then
04:47that Griffin had at one point weighed in on Lyle and Eric's situation.
04:51And there used to be a channel called Court TV, and they carried that trial live.
04:57And I remember watching Lyle's testimony in particular in real time
05:01and just thinking, he's not making this up.
05:04This really sounds incredible.
05:06When the Menendez brothers unearthed footage
05:08of Griffin mocking the brothers' circumstances and post-crime spending spree,
05:12the comic took to TikTok to respond to social media criticism of her lack of tact.
05:16I have believed them from the beginning.
05:19And as a matter of fact, I have a painting in my house.
05:24And look who the painter is.
05:25Kim Kardashian.
05:27And Kim saw the show, and she loved it.
05:30And she became very interested in the case.
05:32And she called me and told me she loved the show,
05:37and then was like, do you want to come with me?
05:39And I was like, yes.
05:43The release of Ryan Murphy's Monsters on Netflix
05:46reignited public interest in the Menendez brothers' case.
05:48As pointed out by the Menendez brothers' documentary,
05:51released just a few weeks after Monsters,
05:53public sentiment regarding Eric and Lyle has shifted significantly in recent years,
05:58with many social media users demanding their release.
06:01They already had this trip planned to go down there that weekend
06:04to talk about this green space project
06:06that Lyle and Eric have been spearheading for a while now.
06:10One such Menendez defender was none other than Kim Kardashian.
06:14The reality show star even met with the brothers in prison,
06:17among a group of other prisoners,
06:19bringing along Cooper Koch, who played Eric on Monsters.
06:22Kardashian wrote in an October 3, 2024 personal essay for NBC News that,
06:27quote,
06:28We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhoods,
06:31who never had a chance to be heard, helped, or saved.
06:34Cooper Koch.
06:35It's awful. It's absolutely horrendous.
06:38And yeah, it's just such a tragedy all around.
06:42The whole story is so tragic, and I think it still goes on.
06:46Speaking of Eric, actor Koch,
06:48the performer has been open about his belief in Lyle and Eric's story,
06:52commenting on Monsters' fifth part,
06:54Hailed for its filmmaking style consisting of a single, almost theatrical long take,
06:58Koch expressed his hope that, quote,
07:00After that episode, people really sympathize with him and believe his story.
07:04The first person I saw when I walked into this gymnasium was him.
07:07We made eye contact, and then we just gave each other a big hug.
07:10And, you know, they're very light.
07:14Asked about Eric Menendez's slamming of the show's alleged inaccuracies,
07:18Koch gave a gracious and even-handed response,
07:21stating that, quote,
07:22I empathize with him. I get it.
07:24I understand how difficult it would be to have the worst part of your life
07:28be televised for millions of people to see.
07:30I told him that I believe him, and I support him,
07:34and I did everything I could to portray him as authentically as possible.
07:38This is Eric.
07:39Yeah. I met both of them.
07:40Both of them.
07:41Yeah. But yeah, of course, I talked to Eric.
07:44I told him that.
07:45Nathan Lane.
07:46And Kim Kardashian just came out and sort of made the case for some degree of clemency.
07:51Wouldn't it be something if Kim Kardashian saved the day?
07:55Legend of stage and screen Lane, who portrays journalist Dominic Dunne on Monsters,
07:59took a more nuanced approach to the events of the Menendez case.
08:03Speaking to People magazine shortly after the September 2024 release of Monsters on Netflix,
08:08Lane asserted that he believed Eric and Lyle's claims of abuse,
08:11but cautioned viewers against making black-and-white value judgments.
08:15And there's going to be a new hearing for them,
08:17and I think there should be, to look at the new evidence.
08:21I mean, we now have a whole new lens to look at abuse that way,
08:27that we didn't way back when, when they were tried.
08:30Said the Tony and Emmy winner,
08:32quote,
08:32Not everyone is going to agree with every single point of view,
08:35but that's what makes horse races.
08:37And that, quote,
08:38Just because Dominic Dunne said at dinner parties,
08:41maybe this is what happened,
08:42we shouldn't all lose our heads.
08:43That's just somebody theorizing about the case,
08:46and it's not what the show is trying to tell you.
08:48And so, so yeah, who knows?
08:50The Menendez brothers could be home for Christmas.
08:54Well, that's, could be its own movie.
08:56That's like a Lifetime movie, I feel like.
08:59Don't you think?
09:00I do.
09:01John Malkovich and the cast of Saturday Night Live season 19.
09:05Is it your testimony that you and your brother Eric,
09:08in fact, had nothing to do with the murder of your parents,
09:11Jose and Kitty Menendez?
09:13That's correct.
09:15Oscar nominee Malkovich and the SNL cast and writers room
09:18did not personally weigh in on the Menendez scandal,
09:20but we're counting the show's 1993 parody of the protracted trial.
09:25Aired as part of that year's October 23rd episode,
09:28this now controversial sketch has not aged particularly well.
09:31My father said Danny and Jose Jr. didn't deserve to have
09:36any official records of their existence because
09:41they were weak and not good tennis players.
09:43This owes to its unsympathetic portrayal of the brothers
09:46and their actions in the courtroom.
09:48Ostensibly intended to poke fun at the brothers'
09:51lack of tangible proof for their abuse claims,
09:53this segment joins the unenviable ranks
09:55of other contemporary media depictions of Lyle and Eric.
09:58That is to say, it's a piece of media that at one point
10:01aligned with public opinion,
10:03but now reads as insensitive and mean-spirited to victims of abuse.
10:07The defense will be happy to produce Eric and Lyle Menendez,
10:10provided that Danny and Jose Menendez Jr.
10:13are allowed to go get them.
10:16This is what I think about that show.
10:17I think Eric Menendez has spoken out about the show.
10:21I think that's interesting because I know he hasn't watched the show.
10:25And now to hear from the man who single-handedly
10:27reinitiated the Menendez brothers' media firestorm,
10:30reviving it from the annals of history
10:32to once again a hot-button issue.
10:35Murphy, who had acted as the showrunner for the first season of Monster,
10:38returned to helm the show's Menendez-inspired
10:41second season alongside Ian Brennan.
10:43I hope he does watch it.
10:44I think if he did watch it,
10:46he would be incredibly proud of Cooper Koch, who plays him.
10:49After Eric Menendez panned the show and went after Murphy,
10:52the often-controversial filmmaker commented that
10:55the Menendez brothers should be sending me flowers,
10:58and that they haven't had so much attention in 30 years,
11:02and it's gotten the attention of not only this country,
11:04but all over the world.
11:06In a later interview, Murphy speculated that due to Monsters,
11:10I think they can be out of prison by Christmas.
11:12I really believe that.
11:14Our view and what we wanted to do was present you all the facts,
11:17and at the end of it, have you do two things.
11:20Make up your own mind about who's innocent,
11:22who's guilty, and who's the monster.
11:24And also have a conversation about something
11:26that's never talked about in our culture.
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11:44Rosie O'Donnell.
11:45Hesitant to hope.
11:47After being in jail and prison for 35 years
11:50and being abused for his childhood up to that point,
11:55you know, these men don't have a lot of bandwidth.
12:00The veteran comedian and former View co-host has over time
12:03played an unexpectedly significant role
12:05in advocating for Lyle and Eric Menendez.
12:08O'Donnell, in an October 4th, 2024 interview with Variety,
12:12recalled that a call from Lyle's wife
12:14resulted in her visiting the brothers in prison
12:16and developing an ongoing relationship.
12:18O'Donnell claims that she speaks to the brothers, quote,
12:21a lot.
12:22You know, I want to thank the millennial culture
12:25of all these kids online who said,
12:27we learned about this in government class.
12:30We learned about this in civics.
12:32Upon hearing that a date had been set for the brothers' new hearing,
12:35O'Donnell commented that, quote,
12:37I think everyone who brought attention to it
12:39should be commended, including monsters.
12:41I'm glad that it happened.
12:42I'm not one to say it did or didn't help.
12:45I just know, in my opinion, it could
12:47have been much more accurate.
12:48If all of those facts were known to people,
12:52they would understand what happened.
12:54If you or someone you know is struggling,
12:56please don't hesitate to contact the National Domestic Violence
12:59Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or 7233.