Menudo Promoter Sues NBCUniversal for $500 Mil Over Menendez Documentary

NBC's documentary about Menudo and the group's ties to Jose Menendez is doing serious damage to the Menudo brand, and now their promoter wants the network to fork over at least half a billion dollars!

Darrin McGillis is suing over "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed" -- which has been streaming on Peacock since 2023 -- and he's particularly upset about what he calls "scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of 'sexual,' 'molestation,' 'gay,' and ultimately 'homosexual' behaviors of past members of the Menudo group."

The documentary features former member Roy Rosselló Diaz alleging Jose -- father of Erik and Lyle Menendez -- molested him back in the '80s. However, in his lawsuit, McGillis tries to discredit Roy ... claiming he became a heavy drug user after leaving the group, and was bitter about several homosexual relationships he'd had with older men.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, McGillis says NBC based the whole documentary on Roy's "fabricated statements" and paid him a "substantial amount of money" to share his story on camera.

McGillis, who tells TMZ he still owns rights to several of Menudo's old hits, believes NBC's documentary harms the Menudo brand ... and, therefore, he needs to get paid.

The documentary, and Roy's claims about Jose, sparked renewed interest in the Menendez brothers case, as it appeared to bolster Erik and Lyle's allegation their father had molested them for years ... prompting the infamous murders.

The lawsuit, which McGillis wrote and filed by himself, demands $500 million in punitive damages, alone ... plus, whatever other damages the court wishes to award.