Actress Tatum O’Neal has come to terms with her dysfunctional relationship with her late father, actor Ryan O’Neal. It hasn’t been easy for her, especially after discovering she was axed from his will. However, more than a year later, she finally has the last word.
It is no secret that Hollywood father-and-daughter stars of Paper Moon, Ryan, and Tatum O’Neal endured a turbulent relationship. Despite numerous attempts to make amends with her dad, Tatum is finally over it.
During a recent interview with Variety, Tatum O’Neal spoke out on her troubled life and painful relationship with her dad, Ryan O’Neal. At 61, She now walks with a cane and struggles with her speech due to complications of a stroke she suffered in 2020 following a drug overdose. But, even so, she is not willing to let the past circumstances of her life keep her down.
As previously reported, Ryan O’Neal was never an easy man to deal with and often allegedly treated those he cared for poorly. Ryan’s influence has negatively affected his entire family, especially Tatum, and his son with late actress Farrah Fawcett, Redmond O’Neal.
Tatum admits to facing many demons, with her father being one of them. She reveals her perspective has changed greatly, and she feels grateful to be alive, considering all she has been through.
Following her father Ryan O’Neal’s death in 2023, Tatum admits to having had a tough time. Being cut from her dad’s will left her devastated, according to Us Magazine reports. Luckily, Tatum had a lot of support during that time and credits her son Kevin McEnroe with helping her through it.
Ryan O’Neal Felt Betrayed By Tatum O’Neal
According to Tatum O’Neal, her father never got over her publicly outing her dysfunctional upbringing in her 2004 memoir Paper Moon. “The first book I wrote was just a f—ing honest book,” she said. “And that’s what got him.”
Ryan O’Neal never kept his thoughts about his daughter’s book to himself. During a 2009 interview, when asked his thoughts on his daughter’s Tell-All, he revealed his contempt over her airing the family’s dirty laundry. “She wrote a book — bitch! How dare she throw our laundry in the street for money!” stated, Ryan.
Tatum claims her father’s harsh words left her wounded for years. However, despite the animosity within the family, she continued her attempts to smooth things over with her dad. She reveals seeing her father three times just before his death. However, even though they were on as good terms as they could be at the time, she never got the one thing she needed most from her father: an apology.
These days, Tatum O’Neal claims she is sober and happier than ever. She attends meetings over Zoom as a way to sustain her sobriety. As for her feelings about being cut from Ryan O’Neal’s will, she is over the ugly thoughts. She has just one thing to say about her father’s final act of revenge. “Keep it mother-fer.”
