Were Lizzie Borden and Bridget ‘Maggie’ Sullivan Actually in a Relationship?

2 min read

Ryan Murphy’s latest project, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, has finally landed on Netflix, following a true story that unfolded in 1892. The series examines the deaths of Andrew and Abby Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts, when his daughter Lizzie was accused of killing them both—before being acquitted. It’s fair to say the series has raised as many questions as answers, with one in particular relating to the relationship between Lizzie and her maid, Bridget.

In the eight-part series, we see Lizzie’s relationship with the Bordens’ housekeeper, Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan, unfold. As Netflix puts it, Bridget “introduces Lizzie to a world of pleasure. Together, the pair plot a new course for their lives, one that falls far outside what 1890s society deems acceptable. Lizzie’s father and stepmother think so little of Bridget that they refer to her as ‘Maggie’—the name of their old maid.”

There’s no historical evidence to suggest the pair were together romantically. But there have been many theories and explorations of the idea, such as in Evan Hunter’s 1984 novel, titled Lizzie, which imagined the women were in a secret relationship that was discovered by Lizzie’s stepmother, Abby.

Later, the 2018 film Lizzie, which starred Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart as Lizzie and Bridget respectively, reimagined the narrative and included a maid-turned-secret-lover plotline.

Speaking about the film at the time, Sevigny told Nylon that she and writer Bryce Kass “fell in love with Lizzie, and we are really empathetic toward her, so we wanted to show that side of her. Then there’s the turn. Obviously, you are seeing her through Bridget’s eyes and also it’s a love story. I think a lot of people who fall in love, you see another side of [your partner, a change], a different aspect.

“Lizzie and Bridget are in love, and [Lizzie] thinks Bridget is going to be free and happy. That this love is going to change everything for her, and I think that those expectations are dangerous.”

Meanwhile, Ella Beatty, who plays Lizzie in the series, said of working with Vicky Krieps, who plays Bridget: “Vicky is unlike anyone I’ve ever met before, which I think is not dissimilar from how Lizzie feels about Maggie [Bridget]. She created such a joyful, fun, exploratory dynamic between our two characters that I just loved delving into with her.”

The surviving trial record contains no evidence of a romance between Lizzie and Bridget, while Bridget’s testimony made no such claim.

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is now streaming on Netflix.