Rosie O'Donnell received a letter from Lyle Menendez about 30 years ago after he saw her on “Larry King Live” in which he said she believed Erik's claims that she had been abused by her father.

“I was out to lunch with Barbara Walters and our publicist Cindy Berger and I said, 'Barbara, you're not going to believe this, but guess who wrote to me – Lyle Menendez,'” O'Donnell recalls. “Barbara said, 'Ignore him, he's a murderer.' He's very smart.'”

Walters had previously interviewed Lyle and his brother Erik in prison for “20/20.”

O'Donnell followed her advice. But when a documentary was released two years ago that contained new evidence that Lyle and Erik were abused by their father, O'Donnell spoke out in support of the siblings on social media and in the press. “I got a call from Lyle's wife – I didn't even know 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 1989 murders of their parents Jose and Kitty.

O'Donnell and Lyle became fast friends. “We talk a lot,” says O’Donnell. “I told them that with the fading fame I have, I would do what I could to shed light on their story. I said, 'It's not the '90s, Lyle.' I'm not on that show anymore.' I think if you care about something and want to try to help society, you can use your voice because the children who are abused in their homes have no voice. It’s up to the adults who once were these children to speak for them.”

O'Donnell becomes emotional as he talks about meeting Lyle last year when she visited him in prison in San Diego. “I saw Lyle and hugged him,” she says, holding back tears. “Then Erik came to me, hugged me and whispered in my ear, 'Thank you for loving my brother.' It was very, very moving for me.”

A day after it was announced that a trial had been scheduled for Erik and Lyle, I caught up with O'Donnell as Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón considers new evidence that they were allegedly abused by their father. At the same time, Ryan Murphy's Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” continues to generate renewed interest in the case.

How did you react when you found out about the prosecution and the new trial?

I got a little heads up from the guys and their lawyers. So I knew it was coming. I was beyond excited. After speaking to them, I knew they were both afraid to hope that it could be exactly what it turned out to be. As soon as the news broke, I texted them and said, “It's really happening.” Now put that smile on your face. Let's go.” They've been waiting for this for so many decades, and it's time. I think it's time for us as a society to say, “We made a mistake and didn't understand what we understand today .” It's kind of a miracle, but it's so deserved. I'm so happy for her.

When was the last time you spoke to Lyle?

Last night.

How are you doing?

They are excited. They are happy. I came here two years ago as a cheerleader. I then told them: “You will get out of this.” They didn't really believe me, but I believe that the wrong will be righted. You are still hesitant to believe it will happen.

Did you always think this day would come?

I actually did, based on the new evidence. Our culture simply wasn't ready to even talk about this topic in 1989 or the early '90s. But we have been through so much as a country in these 35 years. As a society, we now understand that boys are actually sexually abused at a very high rate, almost as much as girls. So it's a fallacy to think that men don't do this to little boys.

When do you think they will be released?

Sooner than later.

Ryan Murphy told me yesterday that he thinks they could be out by Christmas.

I would be surprised if it happens in the next 30 days. I don't think they'll keep her waiting much longer. Ryan did them a service by doing them a disservice. (O'Donnell previously criticized “Monsters” as inaccurate.) Ryan is a talented filmmaker with his own style and stamp. I just don't know that this situation, this true story, necessarily played a role for him.

But you could see the show putting more of a spotlight on the case and potentially moving things forward.

I think everyone who brought this to attention should be commended, including “Monsters.” I'm glad it happened. I'm not the one to say it helped or not. All I know is, in my opinion, it could have been much more accurate.

Have you become something of a surrogate mother to her?

I feel like a big sister in a way. Lyle is one of the most lauded prisoners in the California prison system. You can't ignore that. If he had been some kind of psychopath who screamed at everyone and a lunatic, would he have taken care of the hospice care for the dying prisoners? Would he have done all the things that allowed him to finally be transferred from San Francisco to his brother because he had gone ten straight years without a single infraction? No one can mask their mental illness so much in 35 years. That they are both such extraordinary inmates is also a pretty damning statement.

What influence do you think Kim Kardashian had in advocating for her release?

I think it's fantastic. She is one of the most famous people in the world and demands an incredible amount of media attention. I've never met her. I don't know her. I think it's great that she supports causes in the way she does, and more people should do that if they believe in something. I think she's helped the district attorney come to that conclusion now. There have been many postponements since this lasted over a year. They had this folder and all the evidence and all the facts for a year, but it wasn't until Ryan Murphy and Kim Kardashian – to give them both credit and in whatever way they wanted – that it happened. So bravo to them.

Will you contact Kim?

I wouldn't know how to do that. Maybe I can call Kathy Griffin to get her number (Laughs.)

When Lyle and Erik are released, will you wait for them outside the prison?

If they wanted me there, of course. But I don't want to overshadow things. Her family was waiting for her. All of her mother's relatives, all of her cousins, about 70 people are waiting for this part of her family to return. I'm happy to see them or take them to dinner. It's going to be a very, very hard transition. They will need a lot of therapy to figure out how to live in the world after 35 years in prison.

Where are you taking them to dinner?

I always told Lyle that I would take him to Nobu because he believes that is the right place. Sometimes I would talk to him in the evening and say that my friends and I went to Nobu for lunch. I would say, “Mate, when you come out, I'll take you to Nobu.” When I was talking to him the other day, he said, “When are we going to Nobu?” I said, “Sooner than you think.”

This Q&A has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.