Kim Kardashian Visited the Menendez Brothers in Prison Following 'Monsters' Premiere

The reality star was reportedly joined by actor Cooper Koch, who plays Erik Menendez in the Netflix series.

Kim Kardashian at the 2024 Met Gala and the Menendez brothers Erik and Lyle
(Image credit: ANGELA WEISS/VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images)

Kim Kardashian reportedly paid a visit to Erik and Lyle Menendez at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional facility on Saturday, September 21, according to Variety. The reality star's visit comes after the release of Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which has faced some backlash from one of the brothers on whom the series is based.

According to the outlet, Kim was accompanied by her sister Khloé Kardashian and their mother Kris Jenner. Actor Cooper Koch, who plays Erik in Monsters, also joined the visit, along with producer Scott Budnick, to talk about prison reform.

Kim's visit reportedly involved discussing the Greenspace initiative, "a reform strategy aimed at improving prison yards to aid inmate rehabilitation, led by both Lyle and Erik Menéndez," per Deadline.

Erik Menendez, attorney Leslie Abramson, and Lyle Menendez on March 9, 1994.

Erik Menendez, attorney Leslie Abramson, and Lyle Menendez on March 9, 1994.

(Image credit: Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images)

Co-created by prolific television producer Ryan Murphy, the second season of Monsters was released by Netflix on September 19. While the show's first season explored the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer, season 2 covers the investigation into the murders of José and Kitty Menendez, and the arrests of their sons Erik and Lyle.

Kim's visit to the prison that houses the Menendez brothers comes after news of her future collaborations with Murphy. After starring in American Horror Story: Delicate alongside Emma Roberts, Kim is working with Murphy on a new legal drama for Hulu called All's Fair. It's unknown if her visit to the correctional facility was related to her work with Murphy in any way.

Erik and Lyle Menendez at home

Erik and Lyle Menendez

(Image credit: Getty Images/Los Angeles Times)

The Menendez brothers were convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder following the 1989 deaths of their parents, per Variety.

After the release of Monsters, Erik shared a statement on September 20 denouncing the series and its negative depiction of his brother.

"I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant likes rampant in the show," he said in the statement, which was shared on X by his wife Tammi Menendez.

He continued, "It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward—back through time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women."

Erik further explained, "Those awful lies have been disrupted and exposed by countless brave victims over the last two decades who have broken through their personal shame and bravely spoken out."

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.