Kevin McEnroe, the 40-year-old son of Oscar-winning actress Tatum O’Neal, is speaking publicly about his mother’s long battle with drug addiction, saying he no longer wants to keep what he calls the family’s “enormous amount of secrecy” hidden.
In an interview with People published Wednesday, McEnroe said it was time to “let it rip” about O’Neal’s struggles, which he said dated back to his earliest memories.
“She’s had a drug problem for as long as I can remember. … She would leave often in the middle of the night, try to get back before we were awake, but sometimes we would wake up and she wasn’t there, and that’s pretty scary.”
McEnroe, who has been sober himself for seven years following his own struggles with drugs, described a stark gap between the public image of his mother, known for her Academy Award-winning role in “Paper Moon,” and the reality at home while he was growing up.
He said he used to refuse to discuss O’Neal’s addiction during court-ordered therapy sessions with his siblings, Sean, 39, and Emily, 35, out of fear that acknowledging it could cost O’Neal custody of the children — a fear he said was so intense that he worried she would die without them.
“[I had] this deep feeling that if she lost [custody], she would die.”
He recalled holding a pillow over his head during those sessions rather than engage with the subject.
In recent months, McEnroe has written more openly about his mother’s addiction and his own role caring for her on his Substack newsletter, “Serenity Side Down.”
“I started sharing openly about the past and taking care of her and loving her through all of it. [Keeping secrets] wasn’t helping her or [me].”
O’Neal, 62, told People that her son’s candor has made her “so proud” and called it “beautiful.”
A Public Reckoning That Began in 2023
O’Neal first spoke publicly about her addiction in 2023, discussing a near-fatal overdose in 2020 that led to a stroke and a six-week coma. At the time, she told People she had been “an addict my whole life, pretty much on and off, for the past 30 to 40 years,” and said she was continuing to fight for sobriety.
“I’ve been trying to get sober my whole life. Every day, I am trying. … I want to be with my beautiful three kids.”
She said she was attending twelve-step meetings and daily therapy under a physician’s care.
McEnroe described his mother’s recent progress as a “miracle,” saying she has embraced her recovery.
“This last chapter where she wants to live, wants to get sober, wants to learn, I think it’s a miracle. I think it’s beautiful. I’ve never been more proud to be her son. She’s full of love and full of heart. … It’s a miracle to behold.”
According to People’s Tuesday report, O’Neal is now two years sober and continues to recover from the stroke she suffered in 2020. Last month, she was seen walking with the help of a cane during a family outing with Emily and son-in-law Tim Massarelli.
Anyone affected by the issues raised in this story can contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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