Tatum O’Neal’s son spills on Oscar-winning actress’ ‘drug problem’: Time to ‘let it rip’

Tatum O’Neal’s son Kevin McEnroe is shedding the “enormous amount of secrecy” surrounding his mom’s addiction struggles.

The 40-year-old pulled back the curtain on the actress’ “drug problem” in a People interview Wednesday, saying it was time to “let it rip.”

McEnroe, who has been sober for seven years after his own drug abuse battle, described the “unbelievable chasm between” how the Oscar winner “presented” to the public ” and who she actually was” when he was growing up.

He recalled, “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 noted that he used to “refuse to talk” about O’Neal’s issues in court-ordered therapy because he “had this deep feeling that if she lost” custody of himself and siblings Sean, 39, and Emily, 35, “she would die.”

He remembered “hold[ing] a pillow over [his] head” during the sessions.

McEnroe has, however, been candid about O’Neal’s addiction on his “Serenity Side Down” Substack in recent months.

“I started sharing openly about the past and taking care of her and loving her through all of it,” he said, explaining that the secrets “wasn’t helping her or” himself.

O’Neal, 62, told the outlet her eldest son’s honesty is “beautiful” and makes her “so proud.”

The “Paper Moon” star, notably, opened up about her addiction struggles — including her near-fatal 2020 overdose, which led to a stroke and six-week coma — back in 2023.

O’Neal confessed to People that summer that she has been an “addict [her] whole life, pretty much on and off, for the past 30 to 40 years.”

She added, “I’ve been trying to get sober my whole life. Every day, I am trying. … I want to be with my beautiful three kids.”

O’Neal clarified at the time that she was attending twelve-step meetings and daily therapy under the care of her physician.  

McEnroe stressed to the outlet that his mother had “embraced [her] attempt” at recovery, which he dubbed a “miracle.”

He gushed, “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.”

People reported Tuesday that O’Neal is two years sober and still recovering from her stroke.

Last month, she was photographed walking with the assistance of a cane during a rare family outing with Emily and 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).