Thread by @freemnndz

How the media ridiculed the Menendez brothers, twisted their story and portrayed them as monsters

A THREAD

After the brothers were arrested in 1990, the media quickly latched onto the assumption of spoiled rich kids who killed their parents for money and greed. This was the only narrative for 3 years until their first trial began. https://t.co/OwpurvY53ctwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The trial started in 1993 and was one of the first trials to be broadcasted on Court TV. This exposed the brothers' trauma and vulnerability to millions of viewers, who were not always respectful or compassionate. https://t.co/FsNR1A9Q5Ntwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The brothers testified that they killed their parents in self-defense after years of trauma and fear. Their claims were supported by evidence and testimony.

https://twitter.com/justiceforlyle/status/1684313239553810435?t=vjSr_8syfW6zZHCRrJ4DGA&s=19

Despite the fact that most jurors in the 1993 trial believed the brothers and refused to vote for first-degree murder, the media's mockery and vilification of the brothers continued and had a lasting impact on the public perception of the case.

The negative publicity poisoned the jury pool, pressured the judge and the DA, and made the brothers despised by everyone in the country.

https://twitter.com/freemnndz/status/1683069884874227716?t=fHiEZz4C0sUptanzwbaQ4w&s=19

The media's bias was evident in the way they covered the trial. They ignored the evidence, focused on the sensational aspects of the case and ridiculed the brothers' emotional breakdowns on the witness stand. https://t.co/Cqp7mAENp7twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The Menendez brothers became a laughing stock for everyone. So much so that even at the 1994 oscars, Whoopi Goldberg made fun of them by listing them as one of the great acting families for their performance in court.

In 1993, SNL made a sketch on the Menendez trial, where John Malkovich played Lyle Menendez. The sketch parodied the brothers' testimony of sexual abuse and ridiculed their emotions. https://t.co/HQelJis03rtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

This moment where Erik, after hours of brutal testimony, had to rush to the bathroom when recounting "the worst incident" of his father's violent sexual abuse was one of the punchlines of the 1993 SNL skit. https://t.co/TQH1CII2mwtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Saturday Night Live kept making jokes and sketches about the brothers many times after that. These are some clips from other skits in 1996, 2013 and 2015. https://t.co/MskIMPnsKetwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

In 1994, Kathy Griffin made fun of the Menendez brothers on Big News Unsweetened by joking about child sexual abuse. https://t.co/WQ9hPOyF5vtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Five years later, Kathy appeared on the Howard Stern show and said she had a crush on Lyle. This prompted a call from Lyle's former girlfriend Tracy Baker. Howard pressured Tracy to reveal details of Lyle's sex life, such as his penis size and whether they had oral and anal sex. https://t.co/YRGnkAUyLYtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Jay Leno was obsessed with the Menendez trial. He often used it as a source of jokes for his monologues on The Tonight Show.

https://t.co/TKz5aBSFKzmenendezmurders.com/jay-leno-thoug…

Leno didn't stop at jokes. He also did skits on the trial. He introduced Erik and Lyle's story as a new sitcom. He showed a parody of the opening of the show.

https://t.co/YqofsTWeXbtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

A sketch comedy show called In Living Color had a sketch that parodied the Menendez brothers as black. It ridiculed the notion that they could kill their parents and use child sexual abuse as an excuse.

The Menendez Brothers were also ridiculed on The Dana Carvey Show, where Bob Ross painted them in a peaceful landscape, and said "they killed their parents, but they're friendly folk."

The Dick and Paula Celebrity Special, a 1999 animated show on FX, also made fun of them by showing an interview with the acting coach of Erik and Lyle who talked about how they faked their emotions while testifying.

The trial of Sam Sweet, a former child star who murdered his twin brother Stan, was a subplot in The Cable Guy, a 1996 comedy film with Jim Carrey. The trial parodied the Menendez brothers' real-life case.

Seth Meyers used the Menendez brothers as a punchline many times on his show. He commented that even after a bribery conviction, Senator Bob Menendez would still rank as "the third worst Menendez". https://t.co/qtnKL4PzzMtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Other comedians such as Jimmy Kimmel and George Carlin have also poked fun at the brothers throughout the years. https://t.co/mfePTcYUTptwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Their lawyer, Leslie Abramson, was also ridiculed by the media. For example, they made fun of her with a parody character called Sydney Kross on Tracey Takes On…, a sketch comedy show by Tracey Ullman. https://t.co/DcQDPo02Mmtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

https://t.co/TRTUvMhH6Ttwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Leslie Abramson spoke with Larry King in 1996 and discussed how the hate jocks were the worst element of the publicity about the Menendez brothers. She referred to a local radio station that hosted a contest called "Fry The Menendi."

In The Politician, a 2019 Netflix series by Ryan Murphy, two twin brothers, Martin and Luther, who are based on the Menendez Brothers are portrayed as spoiled, entitled, and sociopathic sons who plot to kill their father to inherit his fortune. https://t.co/S95RWXeUTjtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Many other TV shows and movies referenced or parodied their case, often using them as a symbol of children who kill their parents for money.

https://t.co/cwThahWo8W

Another factor that contributed to the media’s distortion of the case was the misinformation and false theories that circulated among the journalists and commentators.

The media repeated many unfounded rumors about the case, such as: Kitty and Jose were eating ice cream, watching television or sleeping when they were killed; they were kneecaped; the brothers took a shower and watched a movie afterwards, etc.

These claims were contradicted by the evidence, but the media never corrected or retracted them.

At times, reporters and prosecutors intentionally spread disinformation about the case. For example, Vanity Fair's Dominick Dunne privately paid a woman to lie and say that she had tapes of Lyle bragging about how he "snowed" half the jury.

nypost.com/2004/05/14/she…

Dunne invited the prosecutor David Conn to his show and he claimed that they had a tape of Lyle saying "we fooled half the country". But that tape never existed, and the woman who supposedly heard Lyle say that later admitted that she lied and that Dominick Dunne paid her.

In 1994, two biased and sensationalized TV movies were released about the Menendez brothers, one of which was based on Dominick Dunne's writings.

In this scene, one of these films called Honor Thy Father and Mother downplayed an incident where Jose Menendez held a knife against Erik Menendez's throat because he did not want to have sex with him. https://t.co/dwpteZVaJNtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Their defense of sexual abuse was dismissed and mocked by many publications as well as shows and movies.

Credits: @mnndzspprt on Instagram

After the Menendez trial became a media circus, the case attracted public attention and criticism. A popular joke about the case was that the Menendez brothers asked for leniency because they were orphans.

As a result of the media's unfair coverage, the brothers were not only denied their right to a fair trial and a presumption of innocence, but also suffered numerous murder attempts and brutal treatment in prison for years. https://t.co/kHDItAj29ztwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The media's role in the Menendez case had consequences beyond the injustice the brothers faced themselves. It also trivialized and stigmatized child sexual abuse by turning a complex and tragic family story into a simple and sensational one.

The Menendez brothers case is not a joke. It is not a show. It is not a cartoon. It is a real story about real people who endured real pain. It is a story about victims of unimaginable abuse who deserve dignity, and fairness. It is a story that deserves to be told correctly.

If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, please seek help. You are not alone. You are not to blame. You deserve to heal ❤