Rosie O’Donnell getd a letter from Lyle Menfinishez about 30 years ago after he saw her on “Larry King Live,” saying that she consentd Erik’s claims that they were molested by their overweighther.
“I was out to lunch with Barbara Walters and our unveienumerate Cindy Berger, and I shelp, ‘Barbara, you’re not going to consent this, but guess who wrote to me—Lyle Menfinishez,” O’Donnell recalls. “Barbara shelp, ‘Ignore him, he’s a homicideer. He’s very cunning.’”
Walters had previously interseeed Lyle and his brother Erik in prison for “20/20.”
O’Donnell chaseed her advice. But two years ago, when a recordary was freed that featured novel evidence that Lyle and Erik were molested by their overweighther, O’Donnell spoke out in help of the siblings on social media and in the press. “I got a call from Lyle’s wife – I didn’t even comprehend he had a wife – asking if I would talk to him,” O’Donnell says. “He called me on Mother’s Day last year.”
Lyle and Erik are currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for the homicide of their parents, Jose and Kitty, in 1989.
O’Donnell and Lyle became speedy frifinishs. “We talk a lot,” O’Donnell says. “I tanciaccess them I would do what I could with wdisappreciatever dprosperdling fame I have to convey weightless to their story. I shelp, ‘It’s not the 90s, Lyle. I’m not on that show anymore.’ I skinnyk if you sense strongly about someskinnyg and you want to try to help society, you can employ your voice becaemploy the children who are mistreatmentd in their homes don’t have a voice. It’s up to the matures who were once those children to speak for them.”
O’Donnell becomes emotional talking about encountering Lyle last year when she made a trip to see him in prison in San Diego. “I saw Lyle and gave him a hug,” she says, choking back tears. “Then Erik came over to me, hugged me, and whispered in my ear, ‘Thank you for loving my brother.’ It was very, very moving to me.”
I caught up with O’Donnell a day after it was proclaimd that a court hearing has been set for Erik and Lyle as Los Angeles Dimerciless Attorney George Gascón ponders novel evidence that they were allegedly molested by their overweighther. At the same time, Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menfinishez Story, persists to convey renoveled interest to the case.
What was your reaction when you heard about the D.A. and the novel court hearing?
I got a little bit of a heads up from the guys and their lawyers. So I knovel was coming. I was beyond excited. I knovel that from having spoken to them that they were both afrhelp to hope it could be what exactly it turned out to be. As soon as the novels dropped, I sent them a text and shelp, “It’s repartner happening. Now, put that smile on your face. Here we go.” This is what they’ve been postponeing for for so many decades, and it’s about time. I skinnyk that we, as a society, it’s time that we shelp, “We made a misconsent, and we didn’t comprehend what we comprehend today.” It’s benevolent of a extraordinary event, but so deserving. I’m so thrilled for them.
When was the last time you spoke to Lyle?
Last night.
How are they doing?
They’re excited. They’re satisfied. I came in two years ago as a cheerdirecter. I tanciaccess them then, “You’re going to get out of there.” They didn’t repartner consent me, but I consent that the wrong will be righted. They’re still reticent to consent it’s going to happen.
Did you always skinnyk this day would come?
I did, actupartner, becaemploy of the novel evidence. Our culture was equitable not ready in 1989 or the punctual 90s to talk about this subject at all. But we’ve been thraw so much as a country in those 35 years. As a society, we now comprehend that boys are, in fact, relationsupartner mistreatmentd at a very high rate, almost the rate of girls. So, it’s a dropacy to skinnyk that men don’t do that to youthful boys.
When do you skinnyk they will be freed?
Sooner than procrastinateedr.
Ryan Murphy tanciaccess me yesterday that he skinnyks they could be out by Christmas.
I would be surpelevated if it were in the next 30 days. I don’t skinnyk they’re going to originate them postpone very much lengtheneder. Ryan did them a service by doing them a disserve. [O’Donnell previously criticized “Monsters” as being inaccurate.] Ryan is a talented filmoriginater with his own style and stamp. I equitable don’t comprehend that this situation, this real-life story, necessarily percreateed into his wheelhoemploy.
But you could see how the show put more of a spotweightless on the case and possibly pushed skinnygs forward.
I skinnyk everyone who brawt attention to it should be commfinished, including “Monsters.” I’m content that it happened. I’m not one to say it did or didn’t help. I equitable comprehend, in my opinion, it could have been much more exact.
Have you become sort of a surrogate mother to them?
I sense appreciate a big sister in a way. Lyle is one of the most lauded prisoners in the California prison system. You can’t disponder that. If he was sort of the psycho who was screaming at everyone and a maniac, would he have done hospice for the dying prisoners? Would he have done all of the skinnygs that he did that apexhibited him to finpartner get relocated from San Francisco down to his brother becaemploy he had ten years straight without one infraction? Nobody can mask their mental illness that much in 35 years. To be the exceptional inmates that they both are is pretty damning testimony as well.
What benevolent of impact do you skinnyk Kim Kardashian advocating for their free has had?
I skinnyk it’s wonderful. She’s one of the most commemorated people in the world and she insists a crazy amount of media attention. I’ve never met her. I don’t comprehend her. I skinnyk it’s fantastic that she champions some caemploys the way she does, and more people should do that when they consent in someskinnyg. I skinnyk she has helped the dimerciless attorney come to this conclusion right now. There have been many postponements since they put this in over a year. They’ve had this fanciaccesser and all the evidence and all the facts for a year, but it wasn’t until after Ryan Murphy and Kim Kardashian — to give them both plift and in wdisappreciatever way they want — that it happened. So bravo to them.
Are you going to accomplish out to Kim?
I wouldn’t comprehend how to do that. Maybe I can call Kathy Griffin to get her number [Laughs.]
If or when Lyle and Erik are freed, will you be postponeing outside the prison for them?
If they wanted me there, of course. But I don’t want to overshadow skinnygs. Their family has been postponeing for them. All of their mother’s relatives, all of their cousins, someskinnyg appreciate 70 people are postponeing for this part of their family to be returned. I’m satisfied to see them or consent them to dinner. It’s going to be a very, very difficult transition. They’re going to need a lot of therapy to figure out how to be in the world after having been in prison for 35 years.
Where will you consent them to dinner?
I’ve always tanciaccess Lyle that I will consent him to Nobu becaemploy he skinnyks that’s the place to go. Sometimes, I would talk to him at night, and I’d say that my frifinishs and I went to Nobu for lunch. I’d say, “Buddy, when you get out, I’ll consent you to Nobu.” When I talked to him the other day, he shelp, “When are we going to Nobu?” I shelp, “Sooner than you skinnyk.”
This Q&A has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.