Tatum O’Neal has shared a brutally honest response to being left out of her late father Ryan O’Neal’s will.
The 61-year-old actress made history in 1973 as the youngest person to win an Academy Award for her role alongside her late father in Paper Moon. However, their relationship off-screen was far from picture-perfect.
The actress detailed their complicated history in her 2004 memoir A Paper Life, in which she accused Ryan of having a violent temper and failing to protect her from sexual abuse by someone within his inner circle.
Ryan, who passed away on December 8, 2023, after battling chronic leukemia and prostate cancer, seemingly never forgave her for sharing those details.
Speaking with Variety for its February 26 cover feature, the Little Darling actress reflected on coming to terms with his final decision to exclude her from his estate.
“The first book that I wrote was just a f***ing honest book. And that’s what got him," she told the outlet.
On top of dealing with health concerns - including neck surgery and speech therapy - Tatum has faced significant financial struggles, even losing $1 million to an accountant who she claims took advantage of her during her heroin addiction.
So, when she learned she had been completely left out of her father’s will, she had just one message for him: “Keep it, motherf***er.”
Her son Kevin McEnroe, 38, backed her up, calling the money his grandfather left behind “blood money.”
Despite the family drama, the Circle of Two star is focusing on her future, including a forthcoming documentary about her life, which could help ease her financial concerns.
“I think the best revenge is your own success,” Kevin told Variety, adding that in the time since Ryan’s passing, his mother has started “letting go of how much space he took up in her life.”
While the father and daughter had been estranged for decades, they attempted to mend their relationship in 2008 when Ryan’s longtime partner, Farrah Fawcett, was diagnosed with cancer.
In a 2010 interview with PEOPLE, Tatum recalled how she had given Ryan’s number to her son Sean, worried about her father’s well-being during Fawcett’s illness. After Fawcett passed away in June 2009, Ryan reached out, and the two reunited.
“He told me he’s sorry,” she said at the time. “He’s all I have in terms of family, and I needed him in my life. My dad was absolutely everything to me.”
Back in 2020, Sean shared a touching photo of the family together. It was one of the last moments of unity they shared before Ryan’s passing.
“This is one of the most memorable photos of my life,” he captioned the image, which featured Ryan and Tatum smiling alongside Sean, Kevin, and their sister Emily. “The last time we were all together was at the 30-year Paper Moon anniversary in 2003.”