Earlier this month, we reported that Rosie O’Donnell was opening up about the “love” that she has for the convicted murderer Lyle Menendez. Rosie went on to say that this is the “first time” that she’s ever been able to “love a straight man.”
Now, Rosie is doubling down on this by revealing the surprising frequency that she talks to Lyle.
Rosie Talks To Lyle All The Time
Rosie, 63, told Page Six that she talks to Lyle, 57, “about two or three times a week.” This came as a surprise to many, as Lyle is currently serving a life sentence for the 1989 murders of his parents, Jose and Mary “Kitty” Menendez. Lyle and his younger brother Erik were convicted of the murders in 1996, and they have both been locked up ever since.
Rosie first began communicating with Lyle in 2022 after watching a documentary about him and his brother. There has been a movement as of late to have Lyle and Erik freed, as a Netflix documentary has alleged that the brothers were sexually abused by their father for years.
Rosie, who recently fled the U.S. to move to Ireland, is convinced that the Menendez brothers will indeed be freed.
“I’m sure of it in my mind,” she said adamantly. “I have to be.”
Rosie went on to say that she thinks “it’s the only way that you can love and care for someone who’s serving life without parole, is to have endless hope and believe in their ability to get out of this really inhumane sentence.”
Related: Rosie O’Donnell Gushes Over Her ‘Love’ For Convicted Killer Lyle Menendez
Surprising Impact Lyle Has Had On Rosie’s Life
In another interview, Rosie talked about how her friendship with Lyle has impacted her personal life. It was Lyle who convinced her to get a service dog to help out with her autistic child Clay, 12. Lyle reportedly takes part in a program in which he helps train service dogs in prison.
“[Lyle] has helped me a lot. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have [my child’s service] dog,” Rosie told US Weekly. “While I was really trying to decide whether it was morally right for me to apply [for a service dog] he would say, ‘I’ve been talking to you for two years. I hear Clay every night.’ Because we shared a bed at the time and they would talk on the phone as well. He understood how challenging it can be and said, ‘This is something that will help them and will help you too.’”
As soon as Rosie got her service dog Kuma, the changes in Clay were immediate.
“The drawings of people with bloody hands and knives have all stopped,” she stated. “The laughter has come back, the brightness in their eyes, the ability to go out to restaurants, the ability to stay present and not disappear into themselves, usually because Kuma is coming over and nudging them.”
Watch Rosie talk more about this in the video below.
Related: Rosie O’Donnell Feels Like The ‘Big Sister’ Of The Menendez Brothers
Rosie’s ‘Love’ For Lyle
Earlier this month, Rosie opened up about her “love” for Lyle.
“He started calling me on a regular basis from the tablet phone thing they have,” Rosie told the New York Times of Lyle. “He would tell me about his life, what he’s been doing in prison and, for the first time in my life, I felt safe enough to trust and be vulnerable and love a straight man.”
Though Rosie admitted that some of her friends have “expressed concern” about her friendship with a convicted murderer like Lyle, she has ignored them and continued to be close to him.
Rosie O’Donnell and Lyle Menendez are certainly not two people that one would expect to be close friends. Only time will tell if they ultimately get their wish, and if Lyle is ever a free man again.
More About:Celebrity News