Rosie O'Donnell Claims the Menendez Brothers 'Had No Other Choice' Than to Kill Their Parents After Years of Alleged Abuse: 'They Deserve Grace'

Rosie O'Donnell is a firm supporter of the Menendez brothers and continues to declare they deserve their freedom.

Erik and Lyle Menendez are currently serving life in person without the possibility of parole for the 1989 killings of their parents, Jose and Mary "Kitty" Menendez.

The siblings were tried twice — once in 1993, which resulted in a hung jury, and again in 1996, when they were convicted of murder. However, they have maintained they killed their mother and father in self-defense after suffering years of horrific physical and sexual abuse.

"They deserve grace and understanding and they were abused children who had no other choice," O'Donnell said while speaking with paparazzi at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this week.

She also told TMZ there was alleged "judicial misconduct in the second trial," and the brothers were not allowed to use the defense that they were sexually abused.

O'Donnell has been a longtime supporter of the brothers ever since she formed a friendship with Lyle in the mid '90s. Since then, she's maintained sporadic contact with them and even became pals with Lyle's wife, Rebecca.

In a recent interview with Variety, O'Donnell admitted she felt like a "big sister" to the imprisoned men, before once again claiming their innocence.

"Lyle is one of the most lauded prisoners in the California prison system. You can’t ignore that," she said. "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 things that he did that allowed him to finally get moved from San Francisco down to his brother because he had 10 years straight without one infraction?"

"Nobody can mask their mental illness that much in 35 years," she continued. "To be the extraordinary inmates that they both are is pretty d---ing testimony as well."

Although they initially met through letters when the former talk show host had a frequent presence on television, O'Donnell said she promised she would do what she could "with whatever dwindling fame" she has to "bring light to their story."

"I think if you feel strongly about something and you want to try to help society, you can use your voice because the children who are abused in their homes don’t have a voice. It’s up to the adults who were once those children to speak for them," she concluded.