Rosie O'Donnell Explained Why She Became Friends With Convicted Murderer Lyle Menendez

This communicative contains treatment of intersexual maltreatment and kid abuse.

And this is Lyle Menendez, who was convicted successful 1996 alongside his member Erik Menendez of murdering his parents successful 1989.

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If you watched past year's Netflix deed Monsters: the Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, you astir apt cognize that Lyle and Erik person alleged that their murders followed years of sexual, physical, and affectional maltreatment astatine the hands of their parents.

In a caller interrogation with the New York Times, Rosie revealed that she became successful interaction with Lyle successful 1996, aft she expressed enactment for the Menendez brothers' maltreatment claims during an occurrence of Larry King Live and Lyle wrote a missive from jailhouse thanking her for the sentiment.

In the NYT interview, Rosie besides alleged that she'd been molested by her begetter on with her siblings, and that Lyle — without knowing her ain idiosyncratic past — said she "knew" that helium was telling the truth. “At that point, I had not ventured anyplace adjacent this successful my household oregon successful my therapy,” she said.

Rosie specified that she initially did not respond to him — but aft discussing the Menendez brothers' lawsuit connected TikTok successful 2022, Lyle's woman Rebecca Sneed reached retired to her to spot if Rosie would beryllium funny successful talking to him. Their archetypal conversation, Rosie revealed, lasted 2 oregon 3 hours.

"Then helium started calling maine connected a regular ground from the tablet telephone happening they have," Rosie said. "He would archer maine astir his life, what he's been doing successful situation and, for the archetypal clip successful my life, I felt harmless capable to spot and beryllium susceptible and emotion a consecutive man."

Rosie besides said that her friends expressed trepidation astir her speaking with Lyle — "They were like, 'Ro, he's a murderer," she recalls — but she yet visited him successful situation anyway, which led her to larn astir the Guide Dogs for America program, successful which prisoners bid dogs to beryllium companions for blind, disabled veterans and autistic children.

After applying for the program, Rosie was yet approved for a canine for her kid Clay, who is autistic. "I noticed the quality successful Clay immediately," Rosie said astir bringing the canine location with her. "I was shocked to find retired that each the stories I heard from different mothers of autistic children were true."

You tin work the full interrogation with Rosie here.

If you are acrophobic that a kid is experiencing oregon whitethorn beryllium successful information of abuse, you tin telephone oregon substance the National Child Abuse Hotline astatine 1-800-422-4453(4.A.CHILD); work tin beryllium provided successful implicit 140 languages.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize has experienced intersexual assault, you tin telephone the National Sexual Assault Hotline astatine 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest intersexual battle work provider. You tin besides hunt for your section halfway here.