Convicted murderers Erik and Lyle Menendez have an unlikely ally advocating for their release from prison: comedian and longtime talk show host Rosie O’Donnell. In a video posted to TikTok over the weekend, O’Donnell said the brothers are “innocent” and she believes their allegations that their slain father José Menendez sexually abused them.
A jury found Erik, now 52, and Lyle, 55, guilty of first-degree murder in 1996 for the gruesome shooting deaths of José and their mother, Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, at their Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989. The brothers claimed in court that José had abused them since childhood, enabled by Kitty, and their legal team argued the killings were committed in self defense.
“They did the unthinkable, which had been done to them day after day after day, and they paid the price for that,” O’Donnell said in the video and later added, “Free the Menendez brothers. Free the Menendez brothers. It’s time.”
Surprisingly, O’Donnell’s connection to the pair began nearly 30 years ago. Here’s what you need to know about their relationship, and why she is now speaking out about their case.
Lyle Menendez Wrote to O’Donnell
O’Donnell, 61, revealed in the 3-minute TikTok video that Lyle Menendez first reached out to her in a letter from prison in 1996. “[It] basically said, ‘I know you know, and I hope we can connect.’ And, you know, he was right. I did know that they were innocent,” O’Donnell said. “I did know that those were boys who had been incested. And why I knew and how I knew, Lyle also knew.”
Although she didn’t discuss them in detail on TikTok, O’Donnell made similar sexual abuse claims about her own father in the 2019 book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of “The View.” According to the New York Post, Rosie said her father, Edward Joseph O’Donnell, abused her during childhood until her mother’s death from breast cancer in 1973.
O’Donnell—whose popular talk show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, also debuted in 1996—said she didn’t reply to Lyle’s letter because she was initially afraid to discuss the subject. She also lamented the cultural stigma abuse victims could face at the time, citing the jokes and ridicule the brothers received on late night television. “Everyone thought this was a funny target,” she said in the video. “People thought they just wanted the money. They had the money, they didn’t need the money.”
The trial became a national spectacle, inspiring a pair of made-for-TV movies in 1994 and 2017. The case will also be featured in the second season of the Netflix anthology series Monster.
New Documentary Encourages a “Very Close” Relationship
Although she had always believed their innocence, O’Donnell didn’t speak publicly about the Menendez brothers or their case until a May 2023 documentary brought new allegations about José Menendez to light.
Roy Rosselló, a former member of the popular 80s boy band Menudo, claimed in Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed that José Menendez drugged and raped him when he was 14 years old. After watching the documentary on Peacock, as well as rewatching the Menendez brothers’ own trial, O’Donnell made an original TikTok video discussing the case in May.
Soon after, she received a phone call from Lyle’s wife, Rebecca Sneed, who asked to set up a phone call between O’Donnell and her husband. “We have been talking and sharing and becoming very close,” O’Donnell said recently.
Erik and Lyle Menendez are currently serving life in prison without parole, but their case returned to the spotlight with the documentary’s release. Although the brothers have exhausted their appeals, Rosselló’s allegations offered slim hope they could one day be released.
Citing the alleged circumstances surrounding the brothers’ case and their “amazing prison records,” O’Donnell feels they have more than served an appropriate sentence. “Yeah, it’s time. I believe them,” she said.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
