After years of bitterness and public discontent, Tatum O’Neal is ready to bury the hatchet with her ex-husband, John McEnroe.
O’Neal, 61, best known for being the youngest Oscar winner in history when she won Best Supporting Actress for Paper Moon at the age of 10 in 1974, and former tennis superstar McEnroe, 66, were married from 1986 to 1994 and share three children: sons Kevin, 38, and Sean, 37, and daughter Emily, 33.
Following the divorce from John, O’Neal lost custody of her three children after her issues with drugs reemerged. John obtained custody of the kids in 1998 after years of messy court battles.
McEnroe married his second wife, Patty Smyth, in 1997 and the couple share two daughters.
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Now, with their son Kevin’s wedding on the horizon — he will marry his fiancée, Fern Cozine, in June in Northern California — O’Neal and McEnroe will be in the same room for “many years, decades even,” according to a Wednesday, February 26, profile in Variety.
“The anger is gone,” O’Neal told the outlet.
Kevin said his mother will be featured prominently on his big day. “She’s going to make a speech at the wedding,” he boasted.
After years of turmoil, Kevin said that he’s ready to move on, too.
“I think since this happened, everybody has rallied and has wished you the best,” he told his mother.
“All the good stuff,” she responded. “All the good stuff.”
Roughly 5 years ago, it was very uncertain if O’Neal would even be around to see her son get married. In 2020, she overdosed in her Century City, California apartment, which caused a severe stroke.
After she was prescribed morphine by a doctor who was unaware of her extensive history of drug use, O’Neal contemplated whether or not she still wanted to live — even for her three beloved children.
“I love them so much, but I’d already given so much,” she told Variety. “Part of me just didn’t want to make it, you know?”
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O’Neal fell into a coma that lasted six weeks, but Kevin was unconvinced about his mother’s mortality.
“There’s something in her that you can’t explain — that perseveres through even horrible situations she put herself in,” he said.
Following years of recovery and physical therapy, O’Neal now has a fresh perspective on what the future holds.
“Now I don’t want to hurt myself,” she said. “Now I don’t want to f—ing take drugs again — I really don’t.”
