American actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell announced that she will be testifying on behalf of Lyle Menendez of the infamous Menendez brothers, at his upcoming parole hearing later this month. Lyle, whose sentence was commuted for eligibility for parole earlier this year, has a relationship with O'Donnell that has lasted for decades.
@menendez_legacy On Aug. 22, Rosie O’Donnell will stand before the parole board to speak for Lyle Menendez — not just as a public figure, but as a friend who has witnessed his and Erik’s extraordinary transformation. Rosie is a fearless activist — speaking out against the war in Gaza, calling out the atrocities of the Trump presidency, and fighting for justice wherever it’s denied. Inside Richard J. Donovan, she’s seen firsthand the powerful programs they’ve built from the ground up: the Greenspace Project that Lyle created, the service dog program whose impactful work Rosie has personally visited, and the art that Erik brings to life as its lead painter. She’s seen them evolve into men of compassion, leadership, and service — living proof that redemption is real. On August 22, her voice will carry that truth into the room where their future hangs in the balance. 🩵 Thank you @Rosie ODonnell for your continued advocacy and support for both brothers. Your work will never go unnoticed 🩵⚖️ #JusticeForErikAndLyle #FreeTheMenendezBrothers #RosieODonnell #LyleMenendez #ErikMenendez
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O'Donnell announced on social media that she will be "one of the people testifying at the parole hearing for [Lyle] and for what I know of him and the man he is now and all the accomplishments he's had while in prison and I'm very excited about that. I spoke to the lawyers yesterday and it's moving right along...Justice has to finally win for these men."
The brothers, Erik and Lyle, convicted in 1996 for the 1989 murder of their parents, first connected with the American comedian after she declared sympathy for them in a 1996 interview with Larry King. Shortly after, Lyle sent O'Donnell a heartfelt letter, telling her she "knew from a personal place that what he was saying was true."
At the time, O'Donnell did not respond, and the relationship remained dormant until 2022, when renewed public interest in the Menendez case, sparked by TikTok content and the Netflix dramatization Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, prompted Rosie to speak out again, reaffirming her belief in their claims of parental abuse. Lyle's wife, Rebecca Sneed, reached out, and the two finally reconnected with a three-hour phone call that marked the beginning of a new chapter.
Since that initial call, their bond has endured. O'Donnell revealed she has spoken with Lyle two to three times per week, describing him as "one of my closest friends" and noting how their conversations help her feel safe enough "to trust and be vulnerable and love a straight man." A sentiment she said she could never have expressed before.
During a prison visit, Rosie noticed inmates training dogs as part of a program pairing service dogs with veterans and autistic children. At Lyle's suggestion, she adopted "Kuma," a service dog trained by inmates, for her autistic son, Clay. Afterwards, O'Donnell described a noticeable shift in Clay's demeanor from unsettling drawings to smiling and engaging more broadly with the world.
For both Rosie and Lyle, the connection runs deeper than friendship, but in similar childhood traumas. O'Donnell's disclosures that she and her siblings were molested by their father echoed the Menendez brothers' claims of abuse at the hands of their parents, which was cited as the reason for the killing.
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