People on social media are upset that Evan Peters won a Golden Globe for playing serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the controversial Netflix show.
On Tuesday night (January 10), the 35-year-old actor who played Jeffrey Dahmer in Ryan Murphy’s Dahmer: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story won the award for best actor in a limited series, anthology series, or television movie.
The famous killer who killed 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991 was played by the American Horror Story star in a way that shocked viewers.
Since it came out, the real-life crime show has been criticized by the families of Dahmer’s victims, who say the director didn’t treat the subject with enough care. They also said that no one got in touch with them before the show was made.
Watch Evan Peters’ speech below:
evan peters accepting his award #GoldenGlobes
pic.twitter.com/sXIAOmi0W1— best of evan peters (@evansfiles) January 11, 2023
Evan Peters thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the post-production team, and the 52-year-old creator for “letting me be a part of your brilliant vision again” as the series became one of the most-watched shows in the history of the streaming giant.
It was a colossal team effort. Everyone gave it their all and I would not be up here without them. I want to thank my family, friends, and loved ones who carried me to the finish line,
he continued.
The star then told the audience how grateful he was and said:
And last but most importantly I want to thank everyone who watched the show. It was a difficult one to make, a difficult one to watch but I sincerely hope some good came out of it
But Evan Peters’ speech at the award show did not impress many people. Some pointed out that he didn’t talk about the victims of the Milwaukee Cannibal.
One user wrote:
Don’t cancel me but I think some sort of [acknowledgment] of the victims was the least Evan Peters could do during his acceptance speech.. a tad disappointed ngl, esp after all the backlash and feedback it got from victims’ real-life family members.
Don’t cancel me but I think some sort of acknowledgement of the victims was the least Evan Peters could do during his acceptance speech.. 😕 a tad disappointed ngl, esp after all the backlash and feedback it got from victims’ real-life family members #goldenglobes
— Sophie Ross (@SophRossss) January 11, 2023
Another user remarked:
Evan Peters not acknowledging the victims and their families AT ALL. Nominating him in the first place? That series was literally disgusting.
Evan Peters not acknowledging the victims and their families AT ALL. Nominating him in the first place? That series was literally disgusting. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/buG4TTQTH7
— Nick Fury (@WritingTheWrong) January 11, 2023
A third commented:
So are we going to talk about how weird it is that Evan Peters won a golden globe for a show that the families of Dahmer’s victims explicitly asked not to be made or??? Like not hate to the guy but the whole thing is f***ed up IMO.
A fourth said:
No good came out of that show Evan Peters except for the retraumatizing of the victims’ families.
no good came out of that show evan peters except for the retraumatizing of the victims families
— auti (@thisiskick) January 11, 2023
The experience of playing the monster made an impression on the Wandavision star, who told Variety last year that after the series he wants to “take a little break from darker roles and explore the light.”
It would be interesting to me to play something that is a little closer to home, a little more mundane, and to explore the details of those kinds of experiences,
he added.
The success of the Dahmer season led Netflix to renew the “Monster” series as an anthology with two more seasons about “other notorious figures who left their mark on society.”