Rosie O’Donnell Speaks Out After Menendez Brothers Parole Decisions
Rosie O’Donnell issued a bold response to the Menendez brothers’ parole decisions in the wake of the announcement deciding the futures of Lyle and Erik Menendez.
On Saturday, August 23, the former Rosie O’Donnell Show host, 63, took to Instagram with a blunt message. “Free the Menendez brothers,” she wrote in bold, black text on an off-white background.
The A League of Their Own actress didn’t offer any other comments in the wake of a California parole board denying both Erik and Lyle’s request for parole this week. Erik’s denial came on Thursday, August 21, while Lyle’s decision was delivered on Friday, August 22.
In the comments, O’Donnell’s followers were divided by her stance on the Menendez brothers’ case.
One Instagram user pointed out, “Many other people I’d like to see freed before two spoiled kids who killed their parents for money.”
Another commented, “I love you Rosie but I don’t agree with you on this….. we will agree to disagree!”
Someone else shared, “The families of both victims are pleading for this! I want what they want!”
A different follower who agreed with O’Donnell wrote, “I can’t believe that they were denied bail/release!!!! The idea that they are a threat, or a danger to society is laughable, and absurd! LET THEM OUT!”
Meanwhile, yet another Instagram echoed, “They deserve to be free.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom still has the power to reverse parole decisions, so the Menendez brothers could still potentially walk free. They could also be eligible for parole again in three years, per CNN. In the meantime, the cases will be considered for “administrative review” within one year and may be granted a second parole hearing in as little as 18 months.
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In 1996, the siblings were sentenced to life in prison after confessing to fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, at the Beverly Hills home in 1989. The defense argued that Erik and Lyle — who were only 18 and 21, respectively — killed their parents in self-defense following years of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of their father. Meanwhile, prosecutors claimed the brothers killed their parents so they could inherit their fortune.
In May 2025, a judge reduced Lyle and Erik’s sentences from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life. This made them immediately eligible for parole just months after Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story brought renewed attention to the decades-old case.
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P
Shooting your Mother 10 times can create a lot of doubt about having that person walking the streets.
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She knew and never stepped in to make it stop. She is as guilty as the father! They saw them as one unit, the same person. And isn’t that what marriage is? A union?
It’s so obvious on these threads who has been tortured via sexual abuse, and who likes to sit back, judge, and play God.
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Who cares what Rosie thinks?
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She moved to Ireland and still has her big mouth in USA things. Lol
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She can shoot her mouth off about the US regardless where she lives so MYOB
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O
You trying to shut down free speech there, Boca? Sure sounds like it. People are just as entitled to comment on her stupid remarks as she is to make them.
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O
Obvious you do or you wouldn’t have read the article and then commented.
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I thought she left to get away from everything & everyone. We're giving her more ink than she deserves! Just shut up & drink some Guiness.
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Keep them in prison where they need to be.
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I am so glad I am not in that family. They argued they were abused and stayed quiet for over twenty years. I dont believe it. Or holidays would be a pedophiles feeding frenzy yet and still.
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I think Rosie needs to worry about her partner and their lives and stay out of the Menendez business. They can't follow rules in prison, they surely can't in society. I'm glad she left and now she needs to stay out of America's affairs. Her opinions doesn't matter.
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You don't own this country. Rosie is free to comment on any country she chooses to. You sound like a 5th grader, jeez
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G
Let them out under two conditions. They have to be on parole for the rest of their sentence and they have to live with Rosie.
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O
Plus make them wear ankle monitors for life and bill that Rosie ofatty Conner for the ankle monitors. They will have to have permission to even step foot off her lawn.
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She left the countrydoes not concern her at all .her Hollywood days are done
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G
Well, considering they broke rules in prison...cell phone usage, drug use and whatever else the board bulleted in their statement, that would be why. This is no doubt a heartbreaking case and if it was in self defense they may have been survivors and built a different life. No matter how you try to look at this sad situation, it comes back to same thing. Money. Kitty may or may not have been a victim herself, who knows. Either way she was part of the problem not the solution. She stayed because of the money...Erik and Lyle didn't kill Jose during rape, they waited, premeditated murder for...the money.
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The Menendez brothers are cold blooded murderers. They don't conform to prison rules. They had positive choices they could have made by leaving and getting the right kind of counseling but they chose to commit a brutal murder instead. This was a very horrific murder. I would be wary of them if I came upon them on the street. I get the impression that anger drives them.
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Some pathology cannot be rehabilitated.
Faulty wiring from early on. Inevitable repetition of offending in the future. Community safety is only guaranteed by incarceration.
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Why doesn't she go to the parole board and offer to put them up with her in Ireland?
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It’s common sense. I agree with the parole board. If they can’t obey the rules in prison how are they expected to obey the rules outside where they have access to more drugs and people. If they were doing drugs inside they’ll do them outside. Drugs impair people’s ability to think rationally. They were probably on them when they killed their parents. Imagine one of these guys who hasn’t been in real society for 30 years getting with someone’s young unsuspecting daughter on the outside. I can’t support that. The way their parents were murdered was something that is incomprehensible to this day to me and it terrifies me to unleash that type of trauma onto society. As a mother of daughters, If that is how they respond to someone who has hurt them, unfortunately they are better off where they are. I’m not sure if they are capable of functioning out here. Not a risk I’m willing to take. They don’t seem reformed enough.
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T
If she is serious, she should move back to the states and invite them to move in with her, I doubt Ireland would allow two confessed murders to live among them. She can assume responsibility for them since she feels they are no longer a risk. She needs to put her money where her mouth is, if after 10 years with no murder, robberies, rapes, child molestations, or theft they can move out and live out their lives but, social services, taxpayers have supported them long enough. It would be obscene for them to inherint a dime from their parents when they murdered their parents. Other wise it could be said crime does pay, my guess is they will write books and make a fortune anyway, that too would be obscene.
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They killed 2 people who happen to be responsible for their existance. You would have to be absent of all desency as a human to want these two to go free or even having a discuss to debate. This world is one sorry place to be. Let them rot in their caged.
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They killed the parents you alcoholic depression puke woman
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O
Obviously you care what she wrote, you read the article and then made this stupid post. Your definitely have the right name “don’t care” (which most of us think about your abusive comment!)
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They only said they were sexually abused because nothing else was going to work. They used all their options. They could of moved out they were old enough. But had no money. Those were alligator tears in the court room not tears of abuse
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They were 18 and 21 - they could have left home and lived on their own if they were being abused. I love Rosie, but have to disagree with her on this.
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I absolutely agree with you! I don't know what did or didn't happen to them growing up, but they were free to leave. They made a plan and a deliberate choice to brutally murder their parents as they sat there defenselessly. They deserve to be in prison forever.
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Maybe they were traumatized. You were not there and neither was I
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I don't know about the rest of you guys but the menedez bro will be judge by our Lord and nobody else has the right to . They may get there pardon for there wrong doing and ya they did so the ultimate commandment . I don't think there parents were good parents .however they was over 18.they we're just money grubbing kids and didn't care about anything but there own selfish acts .they didn't wanna be like a normal human and get there hands dirty they wanted there money handed to them .there parents raised em this way so they had to face the ultimate price .it's the way the parents raised em to be selfish little brats . So if they do get free make sure they work at the worse jobs ever .example McDonald's making minimum wage . That'll teach em 😂
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Trump should revoke her US citizenship.
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She is digusting.
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This just confirms what I suspected all along. Rosie O'Donnell is nuts.
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G
They need to stay in jail. Normal people don't kill their parents.
Rosie does not get to have an opinion she is crazy in a different way. Who leaves the usa!
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"Let's normalizing patricide!!!"
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I agree with the parole board 100%. And more. They went into the prison after being cold blooded killers, spent stolen money lavishly on themselves. And then have NOT been model prisoners. They need to stay in prison for life. Do not forget they murdered the people who loved them in cold blood.
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Rosie what part of GO AWAY do you not understand. Desperately trying to stay relevant is useless
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P
Who the hell cares what Rosie says? Shows her lack of common sense and moral character.
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What an elitist attitude! Rosie you are not an expert so stay out of it!
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O
Why even share this as a newsworthy article? Who cares what Rosie thinks? She chose to leave the U.S. so she can have all the opinions she wants, but, they don’t count for anything,
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G
Who cares what Rosie has to say!! She is not relevant anymore so she has to keep her name alive. Doesn't her daughter have a criminal record for various things,no wonder she is on the side of criminals!
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Who gives a damn what Rosie believes. Just a person with a big mouth. I remember her years ago on a talk show ripping Tom Selleck a new one over firearms. She’s not a nice person. Her opinion is crap.
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She's probably trolling and wants to see who says something, then connect it to Trump and the J6 pardons.
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