You’ve seen it. Even if you haven’t watched a single second of Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, you’ve definitely scrolled past that one video. The lighting is moody, the transition is sharp, and the song—usually a slowed-down version of something haunting—stays stuck in your head for days.
The Nicholas Chavez edit isn't just another fan-made clip; it’s a full-blown cultural moment.
Honestly, it’s rare for a single piece of fan content to move the needle this much. We aren't just talking about a few thousand likes from soap opera fans. We’re talking about over 50 million views on TikTok alone. It’s reached the point where college professors are projecting the edit on lecture hall screens to keep students awake. That’s not a joke—Chavez himself has seen the videos of hundreds of students watching his face while they're supposed to be learning about macroeconomics.
What is the Nicholas Chavez Edit exactly?
Basically, "the edit" refers to a specific TikTok montage that went viral shortly after Monsters dropped on Netflix in late 2024. It typically features Chavez as Lyle Menendez, often in his more "alpha" or "commanding" moments, juxtaposed with the vulnerability he shows when his "mask" slips.
📖 Related: Island of Grace: The Low-Budget Faith Film That Found a Weirdly Dedicated Audience
Creators use high-contrast filters and precise beat-matching to turn a dark, tragic portrayal into something weirdly magnetic. It’s a phenomenon that happens every few years—think back to those Timothée Chalamet or Jacob Elordi edits that felt impossible to escape.
But this one feels a bit different. Why? Because the source material is so heavy.
Chavez is playing a real-life figure convicted of a brutal crime. While fans are drooling over his jawline and "internet boyfriend" status, there’s a massive tension between the aesthetic of the edit and the reality of the Menendez case. It’s that exact friction that keeps people clicking.
From General Hospital to Global Fame
Nicholas Alexander Chavez didn’t just fall out of the sky.
Before he was the face of a million "soft-boy" edits, he was a staple on General Hospital. He played Spencer Cassadine from 2021 to 2024. He actually won a Daytime Emmy for it. If you ask any soap fan, they’ll tell you he was always going to be a star. He has this way of doing "mask work"—showing you one face while letting the audience see the cracks underneath.
✨ Don't miss: Saturday Night Live: Why It Still Matters After 50 Years
He didn't have an agent when he booked the soap gig. He was literally selling car insurance and working odd jobs after dropping out of Rutgers. Then, he lands Monsters and FX’s Grotesquerie back-to-back. Within weeks of the Monsters premiere, his Instagram following jumped by over a million people.
Why the "Lyle" Portrayal Stuck
Chavez has talked openly about how he approached playing Lyle Menendez. He viewed the character as someone obsessed with a "meticulously-crafted façade."
- The Hairpiece Scene: One of the most-edited moments is actually the most heartbreaking one—where Lyle's mother violently rips off his toupee.
- The Limo Scene: The early scenes of Lyle talking about shoes and frozen yogurt while his world is ending.
- The Stand: Those tight close-ups where his face finally breaks.
Editors take these moments and strip away the context. They turn the "mask" into an aesthetic. It’s fascinating, and kinda weird, but it’s how the internet processes complex media now.
The Controversy: Is It Okay to "Stan" This?
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. The Nicholas Chavez edit has sparked a ton of debate about the ethics of true crime fandom.
The Menendez brothers' case has been debated for decades. In 2026, the conversation is louder than ever because the case was recently reopened. Some people find the edits "insensitive" or even "repulsive" because they treat a tragedy like a fashion show. Chavez himself has caught some heat for interviews where people felt he was being too dismissive of the brothers' trauma, though he's mostly tried to stay neutral, calling the situation a "gray area."
There’s also that photo of him posing with people dressed as the Menendez brothers for Halloween. That didn’t go over well. It’s the classic "internet boyfriend" trap: the faster you rise, the harder people look for reasons to cancel you.
How to Find the Best Edits (and the Song)
If you're looking for the original viral clip, you'll usually find it under tags like #NicholasChavez or #LyleMenendezEdit.
Most of the top-tier versions use songs like "Cruel Summer" (slowed), "After Dark" by Mr.Kitty, or various Lana Del Rey tracks. The "clean" versions focus on his red carpet appearances, like his monochromatic look at the 2025 Golden Globes, while the "dark" ones stick to the Monsters footage.
What’s Next for Nicholas Chavez?
The "edit era" is usually a stepping stone. Chavez has already moved on to bigger projects:
- The Technique: A psychological thriller alongside Emma Roberts and Ben Platt.
- Camino Real: A Tennessee Williams revival at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
- Grotesquerie: His role as Father Charlie Mayhew (the "hot priest" iteration) which has its own subset of viral edits.
He’s clearly trying to prove he’s more than just a viral TikTok sound.
Making Sense of the Trend
If you're a creator or just someone trying to understand why your "For You Page" is obsessed with this guy, here is the reality: Nicholas Chavez has "it." That specific screen presence that translates perfectly to short-form video.
What you can do now:
If you’re interested in the actor beyond the 15-second clips, check out his performance in Grotesquerie on Hulu/FX. It shows a completely different side of his range. If the ethics of the Menendez case bother you, there are several documentaries—like the 2024 Netflix companion—that provide the factual context the edits leave out.
Understanding the "Nicholas Chavez edit" is basically a lesson in modern celebrity. It’s 10% talent, 40% timing, and 50% a teenager with CapCut and a really good ear for music.