Lifetime is facing a storm of criticism over making a Gabby Petito movie just a year after the investigation began

Lifetime’s “The Gabby Petito Story” is facing online backlash for being exploitative, airing a little over a year after the investigation began. LifetimeLifetime debuts “The Gabby Petito Story” this weekend. Critics have called the movie “sickening,” noting Petito went missing just over a year ago.

The film was made without the involvement or approval of the Petito family. Lifetime’s “The Gabby Petito Story” is set to air this weekend, but the dramatized reenactment of the tragedy that captured the attention of millions is already facing backlash over the ethics of dramatizing such a recent case. The film, set to air just over a year after Petito’s parents first reported her missing on September 11, 2021, “explores Gabby and her fiancé Brian Laundrie’s complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip that resulted in Gabby’s tragic murder,” according to the Lifetime website.

It was written by Gregory Small and Richard Blaney, who have penned multiple crime series based on real-life events. Social media users have called the film “sickening” and disrespectful. Users have critiqued the fast timeline for a traumatized and grieving family, and rallied supporters of Petito’s family to boycott the show.

“How can you honor #GabbyPetito and her family?? By NOT watching this movie that exploits her memory!” wrote one Twitter user. Lifetime can you share a filming timeline for this project? This case was still active a year ago, this doesn’t seem morally responsible. — Drü Nicholi (@DruNicholi) September 24, 2022Some users called out the proliferation of films about missing white women and the lack of stories about women of color.

“Someone explain to me how Gabby Petito got a lifetime movie 6 months after her DV murder/suicide, but NOTHING is mentioned about the thousands of bipoc women that continue to go missing every year. I’ll wait while you work that one out,” said one Twitter user. Film critic Ella Dawson criticized the network in June, expressing disgust for the film’s timing and calling the Lifetime channel “vultures.

“Director Thora Birch, who also plays the role of Petito’s mom, Nicole Schmidt, told The List in an interview published September 27 that she hoped the movie, which is part of the network’s “Stop Violence Against Women” campaign, could serve as a “cautionary tale. “”If one person can watch this and maybe some alarm bells in their own mind go off and they make a change for the better in their life because of this, that will make it a success,” she told the outlet. For anyone in a similar situation, Birch said “if they see this, it could be a little bit of a wake-up call for them.

“Lifetime really wrote, directed, filmed, and edited a movie about Gabby Petito’s murder in less than a year after it happened. @lifetimetv y’all are ruthless and should be ashamed of yourselves for profiting off a girl’s death and a family who’s still traumatized and grieving. — Cassy Carter (@ccarter0824) September 28, 2022Petito’s family issued a statement through the AWARE foundation, which reads: “We thought our followers should know that the Lifetime movie on Gabby Petito has no connection to the Petito family nor did they give their approval,” per Newsweek.

“Lifetime took it upon themselves to make the movie. “Criticisms of true crime entertainment, particularly the ever-growing docuseries genre, have increased recently as Netflix took heat for its September 21 release: “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and a judge released Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit 2014 podcast “Serial,” on September 19. The family of Hae Min Lee — whose 1999 murder Syed was previously convicted of — felt “blindsided” and “betrayed” by the overturned conviction, according to the family’s lawyer, Steve Kelly.

Rita Isbell, the sister of Errol Lindsey, one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims, previously told Insider that Netflix never contacted her about its Dahmer project, which included an emotional reenactment of her victim impact statement, and would have felt less “harsh and careless” if it had benefited the children of the victims. “It’s sad that they’re just making money off of this tragedy,” she said. “That’s just greed.

“Lindsey’s cousin, Eric Perry, described the negative impact of the show on Twitter on September 22: “It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what?” Perry acknowledged the popularity of true crime, but asked “How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?”Representatives for Lifetime did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Email tips on all things internet to mleighton@insider. com.

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