Ryan O'Neal's Actress Daughter Tatum Reveals She 'Won't Take F------ Drugs Again' After Near-Death Overdose and Stroke
Tatum O'Neal has pledged to 'never do drugs again' after suffering a near-death experience in 2020.
March 10 2025, Published 1:42 p.m. ET
Tatum O'Neal has committed to living the rest of her days drug-free.
The former child star, now 61, has a dramatic new outlook on life after a near-death experience and grim prognosis in 2020 left her never wanting to "hurt herself" again, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The child star went into a six-week coma in 2020 and woke up with negative side effects.
In a new interview with Variety, Tatum, the daughter of actor Ryan O'Neal, opened up about her harrowing road to addiction that stemmed from a childhood full of abuse and neglect.
Tatum previously gained notoriety for her battles with alcohol, cocaine, and heroin, which resulted in a temporary loss of custody of her three kids with John McEnroe.
Tatum had a tumultuous relationship with her father Ryan, who did drugs in front of her as a young child.
Five years ago, pills nearly took her life when she overdosed in her Century City apartment – resulting in a severe stroke.
During the isolating COVID-19 lockdown, the Paper Moon star was dealing with chronic pain from rheumatoid arthritis and was prescribed morphine by a doctor unaware of her addiction history.
Things worsened as she struggled with feelings of hopelessness, also admitting to not wanting to continue – despite her unwavering love for her children.
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.
John recalled a doctor asking if he knew whether Tatum would "want to live as a vegetable," but he believed there was something in her that would fight through even the toughest situations.
He said: "There's something in her that you can’t explain — that perseveres through even horrible situations she puts herself in."
Since emerging from the coma, Tatum has shown steady improvement, rediscovering herself and making the greatest strides from within.
The actress explained: "Now I don’t want to hurt myself. Now I don’t want to f------ take drugs again — I really don't."
Elsewhere in the interview, Tatum spoke candidly about her difficult childhood.
In age 10, Tatum made history by winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Paper Moon opposite her late father.
Her win marked the beginning of her highly publicized career, which included teen stardom and a reputation as a wild child in the gossip press before the internet era.
At home, however, Tatum's life was marked by mistreatment from her actor parents, who were also both addicts.
Tatum revealed her father punched her after she was nominated for an Oscar and he wasn't.
She was introduced to alcohol at the age of six and endured physical and verbal abuse from her father after he gained full custody of her in 1970.
Tatum said after moving in with Ryan, she found herself set up for exploitation and a lifetime of attempting – unsuccessfully – to win his approval.
Ryan openly did drugs in front of Tatum, kept a revolving door of women in their home, and even punched her after learning she was nominated for Paper Moon and he wasn't.
In her gripping 2004 memoir A Paper Life, Tatum shared how her father turned on her after her performance in the film was labeled as the "standout."
The praise she received drew envy from her dad, as she recalled: "Things got ugly quick."
Not only did he physically lash out in jealousy after her Oscar nomination, but he also refused to attend the ceremony with her.
Ryan also had a say in which roles Tatum was allowed to take on, which the actress said she "never really recovered from."
On how her dad would get to her head, she 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."
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Ryan passed away on December 8, 2023, at the age of 82.
Despite the years of estrangement and bitter conflict, Tatum had visited him three times after his health crisis, including one visit to his Malibu home just before his death.
The actress shares three children with John McEnroe.
During their final meeting, he offered her drugs. But Tatum was strong enough to refuse.
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.'"
