# Netflix's Lizzie Borden vs. the real story

> The Monster series dramatizes Lizzie Borden's case with a fictional romance that never happened in real life.
- Title: Netflix's Lizzie Borden vs. the real story · Cosmopolitan
- Summary: The Monster series dramatizes Lizzie Borden's case with a fictional romance that never happened in real life. Netflix's Monster invents an intimate…
- Keywords: lizzie borden, bridget sullivan, monster netflix, ryan murphy, 1890s murders, historical drama, fact vs fiction, andrew borden, abby borden, irish maid, dramatization, Netflix's
- Source: Cosmopolitan — https://cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a73775132/bridget-sullivan-monster-relationship-lizzie
- Author: Lydia Venn
- Published: 2026-09-19T18:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: lizzie borden, bridget sullivan, monster netflix, ryan murphy, 1890s murders, historical drama, fact vs fiction, andrew borden, abby borden, irish maid, dramatization
## Monster returns with Lizzie Borden
Netflix's Monster anthology series, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, now focuses on Lizzie Borden, the first female killer featured in the show. The series dramatizes her 1890s case when she was accused and acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother.
## Who is Bridget in the show
In Monster, Bridget Sullivan (called Maggie) is the Borden family's maid played by Vicky Krieps. She's portrayed as outspoken and close to Lizzie, encouraging her to read female writers and learn about her body.
## The real Bridget Sullivan
Bridget was an Irish maid in her mid-20s who worked for the Bordens. She was in the house when Andrew and Abby were killed with ax blows and testified at the 1893 trial that she saw no weapon, blood on Lizzie, or intruder.

> Maggie, come down! Come down quick; Father's dead; somebody came in and killed him.
## Netflix invents their romance
The series depicts Bridget and Lizzie as intimate, with Bridget mentoring Lizzie on sexuality and self-discovery. However, there is no historical evidence they were anything more than employer and employee during her three years working for the family.
## Bridget's fictional affair with Mr. Borden
Monster also shows Mr. Borden paying Bridget for sex, a storyline with no historical basis. Like the Lizzie-Bridget relationship, this is pure dramatization invented for the Netflix series.
## What happened to Bridget after
After the trial, Bridget didn't stay with Lizzie and her sister Emma. Instead, she moved to the West Coast and started a family of her own, leaving the Borden case behind.
## Drama versus documented history
Monster prioritizes storytelling over accuracy, creating intimate scenes and relationships that serve the narrative but have no basis in court records or historical documentation. The show is entertainment, not a historical account.
## Key takeaway

Netflix's Monster invents an intimate relationship between Lizzie Borden and maid Bridget Sullivan that has no historical basis.