Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has proven to be very polarizing since it dropped on Netflix in September. The Ryan Murphy-created limited series seems to have its share of fans, but it’s also drawn backlash from those it depicts. It would now seem that one of the latest people to take issue with the show is none other than Dahmer’s father, Lionel. It’s also been reported that he’s not happy with another show pertaining to his late son and is now allegedly thinking about suing the streaming company over the productions.
Lionel Dahmer claims (via his caregiver) that he was never contacted about Ryan Murphy's series, according to The Sun. His assistant, who was only identified as Jeb, told the news outlet that Dahmer was also not consulted about the recently released docuseries Conversations With A Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes. During the interview, Jeb also provided alleged details on how and why the Dahmer patriarch may be seeking to take legal action:
I’ve personally talked to a few lawyers and we’ve talked to his publisher about it too due to all the chaos that is going on and the stories we’ve seen. Lionel and his power of attorney are gathering information and looking at a possible lawsuit against the production team or possibly Netflix. Everyone is saying that if there was zero correspondence you seek damages. There was zero care whatsoever about Lionel’s wellbeing.
Jeb went on to assert that while he has not seen Ryan Murphy’s show in its entirety, he believes it paints an inaccurate picture of Lionel, who’s said to have been a “nervous wreck” as of late. The carer also claims that the series “glamorized and provides attention to details that aren’t proven fact” and that the producers “don’t know the [conversations] between Jeff and the victims.” He further alleged that the now-86-year-old Lionel has in no way profited from the success of Dahmer.
A number of people who are linked to Jeffrey Dahmer’s murders have spoken out about the drama series. Rita Isbell, the sister of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, got candid about the surreal nature of seeing herself depicted on the show. She also claimed that Netflix never reached out to her about the series. Veteran journalist Anne E. Schwartz, who covered the murders back in the early ‘90s, also purported that there were multiple innacuracies within the production’s narrative. A friend of some of Dahmer’s victims, Eric Lynn, called out Ryan Murphy directly and referred to the show as a “media grab.”
Despite the blowback, the controversial miniseries has found success when it comes to viewership. At one point, Dahmer was No. 1 on the Netflix Top 10 list and remains within the rankings, as of this writing. The show’s lead actor, Evan Peters, has also earned some wild fan reactions as a result of his performance.
The production teams of the two Jeffrey Dahmer-related shows have yet to respond to the comments made by Lionel’s caregiver. Whether or not he’ll follow through with the alleged plans to sue remains to be seen yet, at the very least, the comments would indicate that he’s seriously analyzing his options right now.
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is now available to stream with a Netflix subscription, as is Conversations With A Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes.
