Tatum O’Neal’s son Kevin McEnroe is shedding the “enormous amount of secrecy” surrounding his mother’s addiction struggles.
The 40-year-old pulled back the curtain on the actress’ “drug problem” in an interview with People on Wednesday, saying it was time to “let it go.”
McEnroe, who remained sober for seven years after his own battle with drugs, described the “unbelievable gulf between” how the Oscar-winning actress “presented” herself to the public and “who she really was” when he was growing up.
He recalls: “She’s had a drug problem for as long as I can remember…She would often leave in the middle of the night, try to come back before we were awake, but sometimes we’d wake up and she wasn’t there, and that’s pretty scary.
McEnroe noted that he used to “refuse to talk” about O’Neal’s problems during court-ordered therapy because he “had this deep feeling that if she lost” custody of himself and his siblings Sean, 39, and Emily, 35, “she would die.”
He remembers “holding a pillow over his head” during the sessions.
McEnroe has, however, been outspoken about O’Neal’s reliance on his “Serenity Side Down” sub-stack in recent months.
“I started talking openly about the past and caring for her and loving her through it all,” he said, explaining that the secrets “didn’t help her or” himself.
O’Neal, 62, told the outlet that her eldest son’s honesty was “beautiful” and made her “so proud.”
The “Paper Moon” star, notably, opened up about his struggles with addiction — including his near-fatal overdose in 2020, which led to a stroke and a six-week coma — in 2023.
O’Neal admitted to People that summer that she had been “a drug addict her whole life, on and off, for the last 30 to 40 years.”
She added: “I’ve been trying to get sober my whole life. Every day I try. … I want to be with my three beautiful children.”
O’Neal clarified at the time that she attended twelve-step meetings and daily therapy under the care of her doctor.
McEnroe stressed to the outlet that his mother “embraced (his) attempt” at recovery, which he called a “miracle.”
He exclaimed, “This final 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 see.”
People reported Tuesday that O’Neal has been sober for two years and is still recovering from her stroke.
Last month, she was photographed walking with the help of a cane during a rare family outing with Emily and her son-in-law Tim Massarelli.
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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