Crew member slams 'Dahmer': 'One of the worst shows I've ever worked on'
"One of the worst shows that I’ve ever worked on."
That was what a crew member had to say as she shared the terrible experience she had on Netflix's new show about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
The true crime drama series is currently making the rounds online. When it initially premiered on the streaming platform, it quickly became popular as many were intrigued by the real-life serial killer who not only raped and murdered seventeen men, but also consumed some of them.
However, as time went on, the popularity spiraled into criticisms and controversies, with some of the real-life victims of Jeffrey Dahmer speaking out on social media about how the show has made their traumas resurface.
I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need? https://t.co/CRQjXWAvjx
— eric perry. (@ericthulhu) September 22, 2022
In the midst of this, a new controversy emerged when the show's production coordinator Kim Alsup elaborated on the racist treatment she received from her co-workers in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Prior to this, Alsup had already shared a glimpse of the discrimination back on Sept. 19, two days before Dahmer started airing. In her viral tweet, she revealed that there were only two black crew members on the set including herself, and the other members often called her by the other black person’s 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 wrote in a quote tweet of the show's trailer.
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. https://t.co/3vezWpreNT
— Kim Alsup (@CreativeK) September 18, 2022
In the chat, Alsup detailed that she did not watch the very show she worked on because it could bring back memories of the discrimination she went through.
"I just feel like it’s going to bring back too many memories of working on 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," she said.
Alsup, who previously worked on Grey’s Anatomy and Inventing Anna stressed that Dahmer was "one of the worst shows" she's 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," she said.
Alsup also told the news outlet that there were no mental health coordinators in the production, which she said may have contributed to the unsupportive work environment.
Aside from this, Netflix also received criticism from the queer community after it added LGBTQ tag on the show because of Dahmer's sexuality. Many have slammed this decision because the tag is normally used by the streaming platform to highlight shows that present the community in a positive light.
Netflix has since removed the tag from the series.