Rosie O’Donnell and Lyle Menendez Talked on Phone Nightly for 2 Years

Rosie O’Donnell has an unlikely friend in Lyle Menendez.

In fact, despite the 57-year-old’s decades-long imprisonment for the 1989 murders of his parents—which he and his brother Erik Menendez were convicted of committing in 1996—his regular communication with the comedian helped her find treatment for her youngest child Clay, 12, who is on the autism spectrum.

“If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have [my child’s service] dog,” she told Us Weekly in an interview published April 22. “While I was really trying to decide whether it was morally right for me to apply [for a service dog] he would say, ‘I’ve been talking to you for two years. I hear Clay every night.’”

Rosie, who moved to Ireland with Clay in January, went on to credit Lyle for encouraging her to seek out the service animal, which led to “really profound” healing for the preteen.

“He understood how challenging it can be and said, ‘This is something that will help them and will help you too,’” she continued. “If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have done it.”