Tatum O’Neal has expressed her dissatisfaction and disappointment with being left out of her father, Ryan O’Neal’s will.
In an interview with Variety, the 60-year-old actress discussed her late father’s decision and how it impacted her.
Ryan O’Neal, who died on December 8, 2023, at the age of 82, did not include his daughter in his will.
According to People, Tatum believes this decision was influenced by her 2004 memoir, A Paper Life, in which she revealed painful details about their difficult relationship. The first book I wrote was simply an honest book. “That is what got him,” she explained.
Her memoir revealed personal struggles, such as her father’s volatile temper and her own experiences with abuse in his inner circle.
Tatum has experienced financial difficulties in recent years, including medical bills from a stroke and a recent neck surgery.
Tatum O'Neal has savage three-word response to being cut out of father Ryan's will https://t.co/zWclPm9sec
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 27, 2025
Tatum O’Neal Plans Documentary After Losing Out on Father’s Inheritance
According to EntertainmentWeekly, Tatum claimed to have lost $1 million due to an accountant who took advantage of her while she was addicted to heroin.
Given her financial situation, the news of being excluded from the will was especially upsetting for her. However, she replied bluntly, “Keep it, mother.”
Her son, Kevin McEnroe, echoed her sentiments, calling the inheritance “blood money.” He emphasized that his mother is committed to moving forward rather than dwelling on the past.
“I think the best revenge is your own success,” McEnroe said, noting that Tatum is working on a documentary about her life, which could help with her financial difficulties.
Despite their estranged relationship, Tatum and her father reconnected in 2008 when Ryan’s longtime partner, Farrah Fawcett, was diagnosed with cancer.
Their relationship remained complicated, but they did share some meaningful moments in his final years.
In a previous interview, Tatum described a time when her father apologized, saying, “He told me he was sorry. He was all I had in terms of family, and I needed him in my life. My father was absolutely everything to me.
Tatum’s complicated relationship with her father included years of estrangement and struggles with addiction. However, she was deeply saddened by his death. “I am deeply saddened by my father’s passing.
He meant everything to me. I loved him a lot, and I know he loved me as well. I will always miss him, and I consider myself fortunate that we parted ways on such good terms.”
