Gabby Petito Lifetime movie slammed as ‘greedy’ and ‘sick’

The Lifetime network has been blasted for its forthcoming film based on the murder of Gabby Petito — with critics calling the cable network “greedy” and “sick” for cashing in on the true-crime case.
“The Gabby Petito Story” is set to premiere on Saturday — a little over a year after the travel blogger, 22, was strangled to death by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, 23, while on a cross-country road trip.
Petito’s killing captivated the nation late last summer, and Lifetime said their two-hour telemovie will “explore Gabby and Brian’s complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip that resulted in Gabby’s tragic murder.”
While many armchair detectives will no doubt be tuning in, others are outraged by how quickly the network managed to make the flick.
“I can’t believe lifetime is already about to air a Gabby Petito movie. It JUST happened a year ago and they already planned, wrote, and filmed a movie? I highly doubt the family gave their permission. How f–ked up is that?” one woman wrote on Twitter.
Lifetime has been blasted for its forthcoming film based on the murder of Gabby Petito — with critics calling the cable network “greedy” and “sick” for cashing in on the true-crime case. Lifetime
Petito, 22, was strangled to death by her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, 23, while on a cross-country road trip. The couple are pictured in a selfie taken last year. gabspetito/Instagram
Many claim the film is particularly insensitive to Petito’s parents. Her mom and stepdad are pictured during a press conference last year. Dennis A. Clark for NY Post
“Like they really couldn’t wait a few years?? At least?? The family is still grieving, there’s still lawsuits going on, everyone saw it unfold in real time, and these dips–ts really green lit and casted and filmed a a whole ass MOVIE??” the same Twitter user further raged.
Another disgusted pundit chimed in: “F–k Lifetime for making a Gabby Petito movie and how did they even make a full movie? Don’t we not know what happened and never will since he’s dead? They just makin s–t up?”
A third critic claimed that the telemovie was particularly insensitive to Petito’s parents, who are still mourning the death of their daughter.
“I feel that instead of Lifetime doing a movie about the murder of Gabby Petito, they can just invest in large vats of salt which they can then pour directly into the very raw and open wounds of Gabby’s friends and family who are still grieving losing her a little over a year ago,” they stated.
The Post has contacted Lifetime for a comment on whether they attempted to consult Petito’s family for the film.
Lifetime isn’t the only network to face backlash for creating films and shows based off of notorious murders, with many claiming it is unethical for companies to profit off real-life cases.
Previous 1 of 3 Next The main stars of the new Lifetime movie bear an uncanny resemblance to the real life Laundrie and Petito. As much remains unknown about the couple’s final days together, it’s expected that screenwriters will have taken dramatic license, speculating as to what went down between the pair. Many say it’s unethical for companies to profit off true-crime cases.
This week, Netflix was also slammed for “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” — their 10-part series about the gruesome slayings committed by the infamous Wisconsin serial killer.
Petito set off on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie on July 2 last year. The blond blogger was reported missing by her parents on Sept. 11 after they stopped hearing from her.
Laundrie was subsequently named as a person of interest, and then he vanished — sparking a widespread manhunt and nationwide interest in the case.
Petito’s remains were eventually uncovered in a national park in Wyoming, with her cause of death confirmed as strangulation.
Laundrie was later found dead at a Florida park from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A notebook found next to his body featured a handwritten entry in which he confessed to killing Petito.