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Evan Peters just won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Jeffrey Dahmer, and one of the serial killer’s victim’s mothers is not happy about it. Here’s what Peters said in his acceptance speech and how Shirley Hughes, the mother of Tony Hughes, reacted to the actor’s victory.

Evan Peters holds the Golden Globe Award he won for his portrayal of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
Evan Peters | Frazer Harrison/WireImage

Evan Peters won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer

On Jan. 10, Evan Peters won his first Golden Globe Award for playing notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the Netflix show Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. 

In his acceptance speech, Peters thanked Netflix and the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association). He also gave a shout-out to show creator Ryan Murphy and the entire cast, crew, and production team.

“It was a colossal team effort. Everyone gave it their all, and I would not be up here without them,” he said. “I want to thank my family, friends, and loved ones who helped pick me up when I fell and carried me to the finish line.”

In his brief speech, the Emmy Award-winning actor also shared that he wanted “some good” to come from the show. “And last, but most importantly, I want to thank everyone out there who watched the show,” he said. “It was a difficult one to make, a difficult one to watch, but I sincerely hope some good came out of it. Thank you.”

Shirley Hughes, the mother of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims, criticized Evan Peters’ Golden Globe Award win

Many Evan Peters fans were thrilled that the actor won his first Golden Globe, but the mother of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims was not.

Shirley Hughes, the mother of Tony Hughes (played by Rodney Burford in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), said Peters should have used his acceptance speech to honor the victims’ families. She said that the Netflix show only added to the grief of those who lost loved ones to the infamous serial killer, forcing them to replay the tragedy repeatedly.

“There’s a lot of sick people around the world, and people winning acting roles from playing killers keeps the obsession going and this makes sick people thrive on the fame,” Hughes told TMZ on Jan. 12.

She questioned why Peters accepted the role, saying it was disrespectful to those still mourning the victims. “It’s a shame that people can take our tragedy and make money,” Hughes said. “The victims never saw a cent. We go through these emotions every day.”

Creator Ryan Murphy previously defended the controversial Netflix show

Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story creator Ryan Murphy previously defended making the show in a joint interview with Evan Peters. While conducting research for the episodes, Murphy said he reached out to around 20 families of the victims but never got a response.

“I was never interested in Jeffrey Dahmer, the monster. I was interested in what made him,” Murphy told Variety. “I think that the fact that all of the characters in this are seen as true humans makes some people uncomfortable. I understand that and I try not to have an opinion on that.”

He added, “We always tried to center everything on the victims.” 

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