Did Lyle Menendez wear a wig? The true story behind his hair loss explained

21 November 2024, 12:53

By Sam Prance

Why was Lyle Menendez bald? Lyle has a toupée in Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story but did he wear one in real life and how did he lose his hair?

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TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains details about sexual assault and abuse.

If you're watching Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story and want to know if Lyle Menendez was actually bald, here's your answer... It turns out that the show's shocking hair piece scene is based on an account Erik Menendez told during the brothers' trial.

Just like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story before it, Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story explores the tragic true story of the Menendez family. In the 90s, Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik Menendez (Cooper Koch) became the subject of global news attention after they were charged with the murder of their parents José and Kitty Menendez.

Lyle and Erik's trial was televised and many of the scenes in the new Netflix drama take direct inspiration from claims Lyle and Erik made during that trial. These claims include a story surrounding Lyle's toupée that's depicted in the show.

Read more: Netflix's Monsters Slammed For "Implying" Incest Between Erik And Lyle Menendez
Read more: Where Are The Menendez Brothers Now? Lyle and Erik's Prison Sentences Explained

Did Lyle Menendez wear a toupée?

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story trailer

In the first episode of Monsters, Erik confesses to his therapist that he and Lyle killed their parents. He also claims that his parents were abusive and describes a heated interaction where Lyle told his parents that he was in love with his girlfriend Jamie Lee Pisarcik and wanted to settle down and marry her. José and Kitty then make clear that they do not approve.

At first they start shouting at Lyle. Lyle then calls his mother Kitty a hypocrite for marrying his dad so young. In response, Kitty tells Lyle that he's a hypocrite and rips off his toupée revealing he's bald. Lyle runs off and Erik then confronts him saying he had no idea. Lyle explains that he started losing his hair three years ago and José made him get a wig.

Erik claims that this instance led to him and Lyle deciding to kill their parents and this is based on actual statements that Lyle and Erik made during their trial. According to their testimonies, Kitty pulled off Lyle's wig just five days before the murder took place and this secret being exposed allegedly led to Lyle and Erik confiding in each other.

Erik claimed that this is when he first learned about Lyle's hair loss but Jamie Lee Pisarcik claimed that Erik had known about Lyle's baldness for years.

Is Nicholas Alexander Chavez bald?

Unlike Lyle, Nicholas Alexander Chavez who plays him is not bald in real life. He wears a bald cap in the series with prosthetics and makeup.

Did Lyle Menendez wear a toupée? The real trial of the Menendez brothers in Los Angeles. Picture: Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images

Why did Lyle and Erik Menendez kill their parents?

In their testimonies, the brothers claimed that the wig incident led Erik to tell Lyle that he had been sexually abused by their dad from the age of six. Lyle then told Erik that José had also raped him since he was a child but stopped around the same time he allegedly started abusing Lyle. After discovering they had both been abused, they decided to kill their parents.

Why was Lyle Menendez bald?

People have speculated that Lyle's hair loss was connected to anxiety he suffered as a result of his father's abuse but it's never been confirmed. Lyle's hair loss was real though. According to Vanity Fair, Lyle ordered a human hair wig from the Hair Replacement Center in Los Angeles for $1450 in 1988 and many toupées in the years afterwards.

Lyle wasn't allowed to wear a wig in prison but he did wear toupées during all of his trials. Lyle is now bald and no longer wears a toupée of any form.