Tatum O’Neal is opening up about her recent relapse, which took place amid a busy news cycle. On November 5, 2024, while celebrating both her birthday and election night, the actress admitted she began drinking.
“I was with my gay friends, and was like, ‘I’m going to have a glass of wine — maybe two,’” O’Neal, 61, told in an interview published Wednesday, February 26. “And then I was like, ‘OK, damn: I have one day of sobriety.’”
Although O’Neal regularly participates in recovery meetings via Zoom, it was noted that maintaining her sobriety continues to be a challenge.
Her son, Kevin McEnroe, shared his hope that his mother can achieve a full year of sobriety, saying, “because I’m not sure she’s ever felt the kind of peace that comes with that.”
Along with Kevin, 38, O’Neal is also the mother of son Sean, 37, and daughter Emily, 33, whom she shares with her ex-husband, John McEnroe.
In May 2020, O’Neal suffered a severe health crisis when she overdosed in her Los Angeles apartment, leading to a major stroke.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the actress was dealing with chronic pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis, for which a doctor prescribed her morphine.
Tatum O’Neal
While O’Neal assured her fans of her deep love for her children, she also recalled a period when she no longer wanted to keep going.
“I love them so much, but I’d already given so much,” she said. “Part of me just didn’t want to make it, you know?”
During her six-week coma, Kevin remembered speaking with a doctor about his mother’s prognosis. He remained confident that she would find a way to pull through and overcome her health struggles.
“There’s something in her that you can’t explain — that perseveres through even horrible situations she put herself in,” he said. “She is full of love — and I think that that’s something that she was born with.”
Though O’Neal initially lost the ability to talk, walk, and even see after her coma, she has continued making progress both physically and mentally.
“Now I don’t want to hurt myself,” O’Neal stated. “Now I don’t want to f—ing take drugs again — I really don’t.”
Kevin also acknowledged the change he has seen in his mother since her near-death experience in 2020.
“There’s something that’s happened,” he said. “Maybe it’s the removal of drugs and alcohol, too, and this feeling that she’s safe and she’s living. And there’s this verve.”
