In October 2024, Kim Kardashian penned an essay to advocate on behalf of the Menendez brothers. But based on the the season 6 premiere of The Kardashians, the Kardashian family and the Menendez brothers appear to go way back. On the episode, Kris Jenner revealed that the family has a surprising connection to Erik and Lyle Menendez.
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Speaking to her family, Kim, 43, said that Ryan Murphy planned on telling the Menendez brothers’ story via a Netflix series. Upon learning this news, Kris, 69, had her own interesting piece of information to share. “Oh my God. You know I knew those guys? In the ’80s?” Kris said.
When asked if she knew the Menendez brothers’ parents, Kitty and Jose, Kris explained that she only knew “the kids.”
“I knew the kids because Erik used to come over and play tennis with your dad on the weekends,” Kris clarified, referring to their dad Robert Kardashian, who died in 2003.
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Kim then recalled talking to her dad about “big cases” like the Menendez brothers’ case. She explained that, through her own studies, her perspective has changed. “Now, being older and seeing it from a different lens, 35 years later, and knowing what I know now about the system, I just have a whole different outlook on it,” she said.
In her October 2024 article for NBC News, Kim wrote that though people may tink they know the Menendez brothers’ story, it’s more complex than it might seem. “Both brothers said they had been sexually, physically and emotionally abused for years by their parents,” she said.
She believes that the outcome of the case was, in part, due to societal norms at the time. “There were limited resources for victims of sexual abuse, particularly for boys,” Kim pointed out.
“I don’t believe that spending their entire natural lives incarcerated was the right punishment for this complex case,” she continued. “Had this crime been committed and trialed today, I believe the outcome would have been dramatically different.”
