While Ryan Murphy’s Monsters 2 made the Menendez brothers, Erik and Lyle Menendez a household name and made the general public aware of their crimes and existence, one person, named Rosie O’Donnell has been vocal in support of the brothers long before all this.
As the brothers are now awaiting a review of the newfound evidence regarding their 1996 murder conviction, comedian Rosie O’Donnell has consistently spoken in their favor. She has shown her support for the Menendez brothers on social media and also visited them in prison.
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Lyle Menendez appeared as a guest on Rosie’s podcast Onward in September 2023.
How is Rosie O’Donnell connected to the Menendez brothers' case?
Rosie O’Donnell’s support for the Menendez brothers goes back several years. In the 1990s, the comedian first defended the brother on Larry King Live, which led to Lyle Menendez writing her a letter.
While Rosie did not deny that the brothers killed their parents, she shared her empathy for them since the brothers claimed that they were molested by their father.
In a June 2023 TikTok video, Rosie O’Donnell said,
"I believe them. They were horribly abused by their parents. They did the unthinkable, which had been done to them day after day after day.”
She further added,
“And they paid the price for that.”
Rosie O’Donnell’s support for the Menendez brothers
Rosie first became vocal about the Menendez brothers about 30 years ago when she spoke regarding how being sexually abused by their father might have led the brothers to the murder of their parents.
On October 3, the Los Angeles County district attorney mentioned that they would be reviewing new evidence since the brothers claimed that they had been sexually abused by their father.
A new hearing has been scheduled for November 26 and Rosie is hopeful that this hearing may lead to a positive reevaluation of the Menendez brothers’ sentence.
In 1996, after Rosie talked in favor of the brothers, she received a letter from Lyle Menendez. She mentioned that the letter said,
“It basically said, ‘I know you know. And I hope we can connect.’”
However, Rosie did not respond to the letter during that time as she was scared and felt that she
“Wasn’t ready to touch the subject.”
However, in May 2023, after watching the Peacock documentary series on the brothers, titled, Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, Rosie renewed her public support for them.
In that series, Roy Roselló, a former member of Menudo, a Puerto Rican boy band, alleged that Erik and Lyle’s father Jose Menendez, had drugged and raped him. Jose was the head of RCA Records at that time.
Soon after this series came out, the brothers filed a petition to reconsider their life sentence based on this new evidence against their father. It led to Rosie saying that she felt the brothers’ crimes should be judged while taking into consideration their childhood trauma.
“I always believed that nobody would really kill their parents for fun … I just believed that. As human beings we’re not wired that way.”
Rosie O’Donnell paid a visit to the Menendez brothers in prison
Rosie mentioned that she visited the brothers at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego last year.
She said,
“I saw Lyle and gave him a hug. Then Erik came over to me, hugged me, and whispered in my ear, ‘Thank you for loving my brother.’ It was very, very moving to me.”
Among the two brothers, Rosie shares a really special bond with Lyle and it was his wife Rebecca Sneed, who helped them get in touch.
Rosie became so committed to bringing the brothers’ truth to life, that she got Lyle on her podcast, Onward with Rosie O’Donnell, where he spoke to her on the phone from prison.
In the podcast, Lyle opened up about writing to Rosie in the ‘90s and what motivated him to do so.
“I wrote you way back in the early ‘90s … and I had a feeling that you had a similar history that I had in some ways. I just could feel it for some reason. Survivors are connected like that.”
Today, Rosie is in consistent touch with the brothers. She also mentioned that upon learning about the new hearing date, she had sent them a supportive message.
“As soon as the news dropped, I sent them a text and said, ‘It’s really happening. Now, put that smile on your face. Here we go.”
Adding,
“This is what they’ve been waiting for for so many decades, and it’s about time.”
Rosie O’Donnell is hopeful about the Menendez brothers’ release
Rosie has mentioned that with the advent of the new evidence and the court giving a new hearing date, she feels hopeful about the brothers’ fate. According to her, the brothers have already suffered a lot and have spent enough time in prison for their crimes as well.
Last year in Cuomo she said,
“These two boys who suffered 20 years in their house, and 30 years in prison, have served enough time.”
With Rosie’s hope and the new hearing date, it now remains to be seen what happens to the Menendez brothers.
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