After Rosie O’Donnell saw Lyle Menendez on “Larry King Live” nearly 30 years ago, she received a letter saying she believed Eric’s claims that he had been sexually abused by her father.
“I went out to lunch with Barbara Walters and her publicist, Cindy Berger, and I said, ‘Barbara, you’re not going to believe this, but guess who wrote me the letter? Please, it’s Lyle Menendez,'” O’Donnell recalled. “Barbara said, ‘Ignore him, he’s a murderer.’He’s very crafty.”
Walters previously interviewed Lyle and his brother Eric in prison for 20/20.
O’Donnell followed her advice. But two years ago, when a documentary featuring new evidence that Lyle and Eric had been sexually abused by their father was released, O’Donnell spoke out in support of the brothers on social media and in the press. “Lyle’s wife called me and said she didn’t know he had a wife but wanted to talk to me,” O’Donnell said. “He called me on Mother’s Day last year.”
Lyle and Eric are currently serving life sentences without parole for the 1989 murders of their parents Jose and Kitty.
O’Donnell and Lyle quickly became friends. “We talk a lot,” O’Donnell says. “I told them I was going to do whatever I could, no matter what fame I had, to shine a light on their stories. I said, ‘It’s not the 90s, Lyle.’ he said. I’m no longer on that show. ”If you have strong feelings about something and want to contribute to society, I think you can use your voice. Because children who are abused at home don’t have a voice. It is up to the adults who were once them to become their voices. ”
O’Donnell is emotional as she talks about meeting Lyle when she went to see him in a San Diego prison last year. “When I saw Lyle, I hugged him,” she says, fighting back tears. “Then Eric came up to me and hugged me and whispered in my ear, ‘Thank you for loving my brother.’ That was very, very touching to me.”
A day after it was announced that a court hearing had been set for Eric and Lyle as Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón considered new evidence that Eric and Lyle were allegedly sexually abused by their father, I I spoke to him. At the same time, Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez continues to bring renewed interest to the case.
What did you think when you heard about the prosecutor’s office and the new court hearing?
I got a little warning from them and their lawyer. So I knew it was coming. I was so excited. From talking to them, I could tell that they were both afraid of hoping that would actually happen. As soon as this news broke, I texted them and said, Now put that smile on your face. Let’s go. “This is what they’ve been waiting for for decades, and it’s finally time. We as a society are saying, ‘We made a mistake, and today we understand… I think it’s time to say, “I didn’t understand.” It’s kind of a miracle, but very valuable. I’m so excited for them.
When was the last time you spoke to Lyle?
last night.
how are they doing?
they are excited. they are happy I joined the company two years ago as a cheerleader. So I said to them, “You get out of there.” They didn’t really believe in me, but I believe that mistakes will be righted. They still don’t want to believe it will happen.
Did you ever think this day would come?
In fact, I did so thanks to new evidence. Back in 1989 and the early ’90s, our culture was simply not ready to talk about this topic. But we have been through a lot as a country in the last 35 years. As a society, we now understand that boys are indeed sexually abused at very high rates, almost at the same rate as girls. Therefore, it is a mistake to think that men do not do such things to young boys.
When do you think it will be released?
Sooner or later.
Ryan Murphy told me yesterday that he thinks he’ll be out by Christmas.
I would be surprised if it was within 30 days. I don’t think they’re going to make you wait that long. Ryan served them with a disserve. [O’Donnell previously criticized “Monsters” as being inaccurate.] Ryan is a talented filmmaker with a unique style and personality. I don’t know if this situation, this true story, necessarily played into his wheelhouse.
But I can see how this show could have put more spotlight on this case and perhaps moved things forward.
I think everyone who got attention should be praised, including “Monsters.” I’m glad that happened. I’m not saying it was helpful or unhelpful. I know it could have been more accurate, in my opinion.
Have you become a kind of surrogate mother to them?
In a way, I feel like she’s my older sister. Lyle is one of the most admired inmates in the California prison system. You can’t ignore it. If he was a psychotic lunatic who yelled at everyone, would he have done hospice work for dying prisoners? Did he do all the things he did to finally be able to move from San Francisco to his brother, just because he didn’t commit a single violation in 10 years? No one can hide their mental illness this well for 35 years. It is also a pretty damning testimony that these two are extraordinary prisoners.
What impact do you think Kim Kardashian’s insistence on her release had?
I think it’s wonderful. She is one of the most famous people in the world and is inordinately demanding of attention from the media. I’ve never met her. I don’t know her. I think it’s great that she champions some cause like she does, and I think more people should do that when they believe in something. I think she helped the district attorney come to this conclusion now. This plan has been in the works for over a year and has been postponed many times. They kept this folder and all the evidence and all the facts for a year, but it wasn’t until after Ryan Murphy and Kim Kardashian that it happened. Bravo to them.
Are you going to contact Kim?
You won’t know what to do. Maybe you could call Kathy Griffin and ask for her number. [Laughs.]
Will you be waiting for Lyle and Eric outside the prison once they are released?
If they want to take me there, of course. But I don’t want to obscure things. Their families were waiting for them. All of the mother’s relatives, all of her cousins, about 70 people, are waiting for this part of the family to be returned. I would be happy if you could meet me or take me out to dinner. It’s going to be a very, very difficult transition. They will need a lot of therapy to figure out how to live in the world after 35 years in prison.
Where will you take them for dinner?
I have always told Lyle that I would take him to Nobu because I think Nobu is the place to go. Sometimes I would talk to him at night, and I would talk about going to Nobu for lunch with friends. I’d say, “Buddy, when you come out, I’ll take you to Nobu.” When I talked to him the other day, he asked me, “When are you going to Nobu?” I said, “It’s faster than I thought.”
This Q&A has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
