Comedian Rosie O’Donnell has revealed an unexpected friendship with Lyle Menendez, who has been serving a prison sentence since 1996 for the murder of his parents alongside his brother, Erik Menendez.
O’Donnell, 63, described the relationship as the first time she has ever “loved a straight man.” Speaking to The New York Times, the former talk show host said that Menendez began contacting her after she publicly defended the brothers, claiming they acted in self-defense. Their connection began with regular phone calls from Menendez, who used a tablet-based phone system from prison.
“He would tell me about his life and what he’s been doing in prison,” O’Donnell said. “For the first time in my life, I felt safe enough to trust, to be vulnerable, and to love a straight man.”
O’Donnell also shared that Menendez had once written her a letter thanking her for defending him and his brother during a 1996 appearance on Larry King Live. However, she did not respond to the letter at the time.
“At that point, I had not explored anything related to this in my own family or therapy,” she explained.
The friendship rekindled in 2022 after O’Donnell watched a documentary about the Menendez brothers. She reached out through Menendez’s wife, Rebecca Sneed, and later spoke to Lyle by phone. Their first conversation lasted three hours, and they have stayed in touch since. O’Donnell has even visited him in prison.
This revelation comes just days after O’Donnell disclosed she had moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old child, Clay, to escape what she described as the political climate under former President Donald Trump. Clay is the youngest of O’Donnell’s five adopted children. Her other children are Parker, 29; Blake, 25; Chelsea, 27; and Vivienne, 22.
The move to Ireland has reportedly led to a significant rift within her family. According to Daily Mail documents, O’Donnell removed Chelsea from two family trusts on January 6, shortly before leaving the U.S. The estate is estimated to be worth $80 million. Chelsea has since filed a legal petition to change her last name to that of her birth mother, the outlet reported.
When asked for comment, O’Donnell’s representative directed media to a 30-stanza poem the comedian published on Substack on April 6. Titled my child chelsea, the poem is written without capital letters and reflects O’Donnell’s thoughts on their strained relationship. No further comment has been made.
