Whoopi Goldberg has criticized Netflix's new true crime drama, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, after it emerged that relatives of the infamous serial killer's victims were not informed about the series.
The series, which chronicles Dahmer's Milwaukee killing spree, has been a major hit with viewers around the world since it became available to stream on September 22.
Dahmer, played by Evan Peters, was a real-life serial killer found guilty of the murder of 15 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. He was ultimately handed 15 consecutive life sentences in February 1992. Dahmer was beaten to death by a fellow inmate just two years into his sentence.
He murdered at least 17 people, most of whom were young, gay Black men, who he took back to his apartment with the promise of cash in exchange for nude photographs of them.
The so-called Milwaukee Monster then drugged and strangled them and often cut their bodies into pieces - occasionally eating some of their remains.
Goldberg, 66, took aim at the ultra popular series, co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, on The View. She stressed that many of the victims' loved ones are still alive today and likely to be traumatized by the drama's graphic scenes.
The outspoken TV personality said: “Ryan [Murphy] is an amazing artist. If that were my family, I’d be enraged.
“Because it is being killed over and watching your child get [killed], and then you have to listen to how it went and all this other stuff that, as a person who’s lost someone like that, it’s just – you can’t imagine.”
Goldberg continued: “Over and over and over! I think, if you’re gonna tell these stories, be aware that a lot of the people who are part of these stories are still with us.”
However, her co-host Sunny Hostin defended the series, suggesting that it would draw attention to the young men of colour who Dahmer appeared to target.
“These communities are still marginalized, and sometimes treated the same way,” Hostin said. There were other pieces to this story that even I didn’t know.”
Some relatives of Dahmer's victims have spoken out about the series, with one saying that it had "retraumatized" her family.
"I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge [right now], but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are p***ed about this show," Eric Thulhu wrote.
"It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?" he questioned.
He continued: "Like recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD. WIIIIIILD."
Lindsey's cousin went on to say the network didn't even "notify" the family of the creation of the tv show because it's "all public record, so they don’t have to notify (or pay!) anyone".
"So when they say they’re doing this 'with respect to the victims' or 'honoring the dignity of the families', no one contacts them," he said, adding: "My cousins wake up every few months…with a bunch of calls and messages and they know there’s another Dahmer show. It’s cruel."
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