Horrors of Ryan O'Neal's Abuse Against Oscar-Winning Actress Daughter Tatum Exposed In Her Own Words — How She Was Plied with Booze Aged 6 and Punched by Envious Dad For Academy Award Nomination
Tatum O'Neal revealed some distressing moments from her childhood in a new interview.
March 11 2025, Published 11:39 a.m. ET
Tatum O'Neal's childhood was marked by the violent hands of her father.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the actress' has made a bold confession about her toxic relationship with father Ryan O'Neal, exposing the lingering jealousy and bitterness he directed at her until his death in 2023.
Tatum revealed her father punched her after she was nominated for an Oscar and he wasn't.
Tatum, now 61, made history at the young age of 10 by winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Paper Moon alongside her late father.
Her victory marked the start of a highly publicized career, which saw her rise to teen stardom and a reputation as a "wild child" – often splashed across gossip columns before the age of the internet.
The actress pledged to 'never do drugs again' after suffering a near-death experience in 2020.
At home, Tatum's life was marred by mistreatment from her actor parents, both of whom were addicts.
In an interview with Variety, the actress revealed she was introduced to alcohol at just 6 years old while living at her mother's house.
But nothing improved when her father gained full custody in 1970; instead, years of physical and verbal abuse from him followed.
Tatum said after moving in with her dad, she found herself set up for exploitation and spent a lifetime trying to win his approval – which never fully happened.
Ryan openly used drugs in front of his daughter and constantly brought different women in and out of their home, to which she remarked: "Girls, girls, girls."
Most shockingly, however, Ryan punched her when he learned she was nominated for Paper Moon and he wasn't.
In her 2004 memoir, A Paper Life, Tatum revealed how her father turned on her after her performance in the film was called the "standout."
The praise she received sparked envy in her father, as she recalled: "Things got ugly quick."
Not only did he lash out physically in jealousy after her Oscar nomination, but he also refused to attend the ceremony with her.
Still, she thanked him in her acceptance speech.
Tatum dealt with her controlling father throughout her early career – even when it came to what roles she was allowed to take on, which she said she "never really recovered from."
He even prevented her from auditioning for the role of a child prostitute in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver – which earned Jodie Foster her first Oscar nomination.
Tatum had a tumultuous relationship with her father Ryan, who did drugs in front of her as a young child.
Tatum said her father thought the role was "a little too naked," but she believed his stance was solely driven by jealousy.
On how her dad would get to her head, Tatum added: "He was controlling, and telling me, 'No, you’re not good.' And so then I started to get not good, feeling scared all the time."
Though Tatum said she never received an apology from her father and learned posthumously he'd cut her out of his will, his death ultimately freed her from his shadow.
Ryan passed away on December 8, 2023, at the age of 82.
Despite years of estrangement and bitter conflict, Tatum visited him three times after his health crisis, including once at his Malibu home just before his death.
During their final encounter, he offered her drugs – but she refused.
She recalled: "I know he was drinking, smoking a lot of pot, and he was like, 'Here, take a pill.' I was like, 'No, thank you.'"
Aside from her struggles with family, Tatum also became notorious for her struggles with addiction to alcohol, cocaine, and heroin – which even led to a temporary loss of custody of her three children with John McEnroe.
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The actress shares three children with John McEnroe, who she previously lost custody of.
She later fell into a coma for six weeks after overdosing, and when she woke up, her prognosis was grim; she couldn’t talk, walk, or see.
But she has since steadily improved, relearning everything, with the greatest progress coming from within.
She said: "Now I don’t want to hurt myself. Now I don’t want to f------ take drugs again — I really don't."
