Rosie ODonnell says Lyle Menendez is the first straight man shes loved and trusted: Comedian and jailed killer are close friends

Rosie O’Donnell is looking back at life now, and then.The comedian, 63, recently detailed having a friendship with Lyle Menendez, 57, who along with his brother Erik Menendez, 54, was convicted of the 1989 murders of their parents Kitty and Jose Menendez.“He started calling me on a regular basis from the tablet phone thing they have,” O’Donnell told The New York Times on Saturday.“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.”The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1994.

While discussing the crime on “Larry King Live” in 1996, the former talk show host said she believed Lyle and Erik’s claims of childhood abuse and molestation by their father and that killing their parents was an act of self-defense.After her appearance, O’Donnell received a letter from Lyle that “thanked her for her support and stated his belief that she ‘knew’ from a personal place that what he was saying was true.”The actress herself had experience with the subject, alleging to the outlet that “she and her siblings had been molested by their father.”“At that point, I had not ventured anywhere near this in my family or in my therapy,” O’Donnell continued before admitting she did not write Lyle back at first.It wasn’t until 2022 when the siblings’ case gained a new life on TikTok following a documentary, that the comic reached back out.O’Donnell explained that she heard from the prisoner’s wife, Rebecca Sneed, who contacted her to “see if she was interested in speaking with him.”Since then, the pen pals have had consistent communication with their first phone conversation lasting more than three hours.O’Donnell admitted that at first, their contact sparked concern among her friends.

She “shrugged” at the fact that “he’s a murderer” and went forward with visiting Lyle...