Did Aileen Wuornos visit Lizzie Borden's house? Monster boss explains fake story

21 September 2026, 15:18 | Updated: 23 September 2026, 12:03

By Sam Prance

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has been criticised for including Aileen Wuornos in the show, so how were Aileen Wuornos and Lizzie Borden connected?

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In Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, Aileen Wuornos visits Lizzie Borden's house, but did that stay actually happen?

The new season of Monster explores the controversial case of Lizzie Borden, and whether or not she really killed her father and stepmother Andrew Borden and Abby Borden. Like past instalments of Monster, The Lizzie Borden Story also looks beyond its titular character's crimes and goes into the gruesome stories of other historical figures.

Elizabeth Báthory and AIieen Wuornos both play vital roles in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. In fact, according to Monster, Aileen took huge inspiration from Lizzie and even stayed at her house. However, this storyline has sparked criticism from viewers over how much Aileen and Lizzie's histories really crossed over with each other.

How are Aileen Wuornos and Lizzie Borden connected?

As depicted in Monster, Aileen Wuornos was a queer sex worker who killed and robbed seven of her male clients. The show portrays Aileen as a Lizzie Borden obsessive who even goes to stay at Lizzie Borden's house with her girlfriend before she is arrested for her crimes. When Aileen gets the death penalty, Lizzie's ghost greets her as she dies.

Aileen's story in the show has divided fans because there's no evidence that Aileen was in any way fixated on Lizzie's story in real life. As for staying at Lizzie's house, this also never happened irl. In fact, it wasn't possible to stay at the Borden home as a bed and breakfast until 1996 when Aileen was already on death row for her crimes.

While people have praised Sarah's performance, they've questioned why Monster felt the need to include Aileen in Lizzie's story.

Why is Aileen Wuornos included in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Monster creator Ian Brennan explained why he felt the need to include Aileen's story alongside Lizzie's. He stated: "It’s so good and so funny. It’s shot so beautifully. It’s a really great episode. We find with this show that around the third or fourth episode, you need to change it up a bit."

Ian then added: "So when she comes in, it’s just when you’re on the verge of getting ahead of the story. She shows up and completely broadens the story and deepens it."

Praising Sarah Paulson specifically, he added: "We’re so lucky to have gotten her. She’s one of the greats."