Rosie O'Donnell Says She Talks with Lyle Menendez 2-3 Times Per Week

Rosie O'Donnell's not just pals with Lyle Menendez ... it seems she's a close confidante of him -- 'cause she says the pair talk every few days.

The former talk show host revealed how close she is with the convicted killer to Page Six in an interview published Saturday ... admitting she and Lyle chat on the phone between two and three times each week.

This comes after Rosie said the two are friends ... explaining they got in touch in 2022 because of a Netflix documentary about Lyle and Erik's crime.

We didn't know Rosie and Lyle were this close though ... and, O'Donnell says that's only really possible because of her belief that the Menendez Brothers will eventually be released.

O'Donnell says, "... the only way that you can love and care for someone who’s serving life without parole, is to have endless hope and believe in their ability to get out of this really inhumane sentence."

Rosie says Lyle also helped her child, Clay ... encouraging the star to get them a dog to help with autism -- like many of the prisoners in Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility apparently have.

These are definitely long-distance calls now BTW ... 'cause while Lyle is locked up in San Diego, California, Rosie has moved to Ireland -- wanting to get away from American politics with her kiddo.

As you know ... we've been following the Menendez's quest for resentencing closely -- with their attorney Mark Geragos, who cohosts our "2 Angry Men" podcast, leading the charge.

Geragos has made some fiery statements recently amid pushback on resentencing from Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman ... calling the D.A. a "predator" during a recent press conference.

Geragos and our very own Harvey Levin have actually chatted with Lyle in recent months ... LM came on "2 Angry Men" to talk about gaining a ton of notoriety in prison after Ryan Murphy's Menendez-focused Netflix biopic series came out as well as other, heavier topics.