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Netflix's series about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer Dahmer—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, has been embroiled in controversy since it debuted. It's only escalating following accusations from a crew member who worked on the show.
Kim Alsup—a Black woman who worked as a coordinator on the show—is speaking out about how "horribly" she was treated on set during the show's production. Alsup was one of only two Black crew members.
She said working on Monster "took everything I had."
\u201cA Black crew member has said she was \u2018treated horribly\u2019 behind the scenes of the Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.\n\nLets get into it \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udfff\nhttps://t.co/1JN3d7kzfV\u201d— Metro (@Metro) 1664722230
Following the show's debut, Alsup took to her now private Twitter account to share her experience. In one tweet, she described how other crew members repeatedly mixed up her and the other Black crew member, despite them looking nothing alike.
She wrote:
"I worked on this project and I was 1 of 2 Black people on the crew and they kept calling me her name."
"We both had braids, she was dark skin and 5’10. I’m 5’5."
"Working on this took everything I had as I was treated horribly. I look at the Black female lead differently now too."
Alsup also told The Los Angeles Times she has not watched Monster for fear it would trigger her because of her negative experiences on set.
As she put it:
"I don’t want to have these PTSD types of situations."
"The trailer itself gave me PTSD, which is why I ended up writing that tweet and I didn’t think that anybody was going to read."
"It was one of the worst shows that I’ve ever worked on. I was always being called someone else’s name, the only other Black girl who looked nothing like me, and I learned the names for 300 background extras."
On Twitter, some were outraged by Alsup's story.
\u201cWhy am I not surprised that a Black woman named Kim Alsup was treated horribly on set of the Dahmer series? When you center a racist serial killer in a story then you contribute to the conditions that made his killing possible.\u201d— Flirt Cobain (@Flirt Cobain) 1664733828
\u201c*Kim Alsup, a Black PA, slammed the Dahmer production. It\u2019s important to say the names of the people mistreated by the industry or else we\u2019re not helping with anything\u201d— ThisIsMyAnthroBoomstick \ud83e\udddf\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83c\udf83 (@ThisIsMyAnthroBoomstick \ud83e\udddf\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83c\udf83) 1664556252
But many found Alsup's story unconvincing and accused her of overreacting.
\u201c@MetroUK Was there anything else that happened besides being called the wrong name? I read the article and that was the only example given.\u201d— Metro (@Metro) 1664722230
\u201c@Variety @LegendDurham Every set treats it\u2019s crew horribly\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1664573378
\u201c@latimes There is not a Black person alive or dead that hasn\u2019t been repeatedly mistaken for another Black co-worker. Most of us are savvy enough to turn the tables on them by answering to those names; leaving them high and dry on assignments and effectively daring to admit their mixups.\u201d— Los Angeles Times (@Los Angeles Times) 1664546927
\u201c@Variety She is 100% speaking for herself.\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1664573378
\u201c@Variety Not negating her experience- but to be clear, she said only two black women on the crew. There were plenty of black actors on the set, and a quick look at the IMDb shows many black crew members, including Janet Mock, who was an executive producer.\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1664573378
\u201c@Variety Not to be insensitive, but besides the name confusion (which seems exaggerated), she doesn't give any examples of the bad treatment? And can people stop co-opting "PTSD" for ordinary life experiences, like not enjoying your job??\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1664573378
\u201c@Variety PTSD seems like a REACH!\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1664573378
\u201c@MetroUK Not discrediting that she had a bad work experience but claiming PTSD when Dahmer\u2019s surviving victims and families of victims must be embroiled in horrendous ongoing trauma seems way more insensitive than forgetting someones name\u201d— Metro (@Metro) 1664722230
Monster has come in for no small amount of criticism, with many including some of Dahmer's victims' families criticizing Netflix and show creator Ryan Murphy for sensationalizing and capitalizing off of Dahmer's incredibly sadistic crimes, which were committed against queer men and teens, many of whom were people of color.