Was the real Adeline Watkins truly Ed Gein's girlfriend? The truth behind Netflix's Monster character, explained

Created by Ian Brennan, Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story is one of the hot topics, as the show has released its eight episodes on October 3, 2025. In the series, Adeline Watkins’ character is played by Red Rocket star Suzanna Son.

Gein’s horrific crimes are obviously the main plot of the show, but it also delves into his personal life, allowing the audience to explore his relationship dynamics beyond his psyche. 

To clarify the doubt about whether Adelin Watkins, who was reportedly romantically involved with Gein, is a real person or not. Well, she is indeed real and was a neighbor of the serial killer in Wisconsin, Plainfield. 

Although confirming her connection with Gein is complicated, as initially Watkins admitted that she was dating Ed, but later revised her statements. 

Well, right after Charlie Hunnam’s Ed Gein’s arrest, which brought his murder spree to an end, Adeline Watkins stepped into the picture out of nowhere, claiming to be his girlfriend for almost 2 decades. However, she later refuted her statement, denying her claim of being Gein’s long-term girlfriend to be a ‘’blown-up’’ and ‘’exaggerated’’ story. 

Though many scenes in the series about Adeline’s character are fictionalized by the creators, including the one in which she tags along with Gein for ‘’grave-robbing excursions.’’ 

Know all about Adeline Watkins’ relationship with Ed Gein

While stepping ahead to speak about her connection with Ed Gein, Adeline Watkins, in an interview with the Minneapolis Tribune in 1957, said that she had been in a relationship with him for almost 20 years. As per her statements, Gein was a ‘’kind and sweet person,’’ and the duo loved to spend their time watching movies in theaters or enjoying partying in taverns. 

One of the creepy facts revealed during the interview was that she and Eddie’s favorite topic to discuss was ‘’murders.’’ She said, 

“Eddie told how the murderer did wrong, what mistakes he had made. I thought it was interesting.’’

Discussing books was another activity that the couple enjoyed the most. Adeline told the paper that “Eddie liked books about lions and tigers and Africa and India.” 

In 1955, Gein even indirectly proposed to Adeline, but she chose to step back from making any commitments to him. The reason for turning him down was that she was afraid and doubted herself, that she couldn’t live up to his expectations.

She even claimed that she ‘’didn’t find anything wrong in him’’ and once his brutal killings became a media storm, she still said that she loves him and will always keep loving him. As per the reports, Gein was a ‘’sweet, polite man” for Adelin Watkins’ mother, Enid Watkins. 

So, after admitting to being Gein’s girlfriend, why did she retract her statements and claim it was false

Well, once the interview got published in the Wisconsin State Journal, she again came up with refined statements in another interview with Steven Points Journal. 

It seemed she was not comfortable with every other publication picking up her version of the story and how she was romantically involved with a serial killer. She retracted her statements. 

The report in Steven Points Journal stated, 

“Actually, Miss Watkins declared, Gein had called on her for only seven months, and then only intermittently. She said Gein during this short period stopped at the Watkins home on some afternoons or evenings and that the couple had attended shows at the Plainfield Theater ‘a few times.’ Further, Watkins also refuted the claims that she and her mother thought of Gein as “sweet.”

Adeline, in her newer version of the story, claimed to have known Ed for 20 years and had only ‘’been in an on-off relationship with him for around seven months.’’

After labeling a relationship that lasted several years as 'on-and-off,' there are doubts about whether they were ever truly in a relationship or if it was just a made-up story for media attention, especially since at that time, this case had become one of the most brutal crimes in America.

Monster: Ed Gein Story is now available to stream on Netflix, starring Charlie Hunnam as Ed and Suzanna Son as his love interest, Adeline Watkins.