Who are Tatum O’Neal’s children? All about the youngest Oscar winner as she opens up about her struggles

The youngest Oscar winner, Tatum O’Neal, is shining bright right in time for the Academy Awards’ 97th edition. O’Neal, who holds the record for being the youngest winner of an Oscar, is opening up about her addiction and her road to recovery.

O'Neal bagged the award for Best Supporting Actress in 1974. She had won the award for her role in Peter Bogdanovich’s Depression-era film, Paper Moon, which she starred in alongside her father, Ryan.

The ill-fated turn that Tatum O’Neal’s life took after that is no secret. The actress sat down with Variety to speak openly about her struggles with addiction and problems with her famous parents. Having overcome addiction at age of 61 though, today O’Neal stands proud and is most happy about her three children, Kevin, Sean and Emily.

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About Tatum O’Neal’s Children

Tatum O’Neal’s struggles with addiction led to the loss of custody of her children after her divorce with tennis star, John McEnroe. Today though, her children proudly stand with their mother and support her.

Kevin McEnroe was born to Tatum O’Neal and her husband, one of the best tennis players of the early 80s. Kevin is a writer, and has published a novel titled ‘Our Town’ in 2015. According to the New York Times. ‘Our Town’ was a fictional account of the struggles of Kevin’s grandmother, Joanna Moore, who was also an addict. According to his interview with the New York Times, Kevin was able to write a closely focused account of addiction. He struggled with it himself, and was even charged with the possession of pills prior to writing his book.

O’Neale’s second son, Sean, is an artist according to the Hollywood Life. In 2021, People Magazine announced that Sean had tied the knot with Niamh. The same year, Sean shared that his wife had had a miscarriage, saying he hoped that publicly talking about it would provide other people with some comfort.

O’Neal’s daughter, Emily, is an actor and voice artist, according to her Instagram bio. She frequently appears in a podcast hosted by her mother, Tatum Verbatim. Emily has appeared in minor roles in shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm. She also had a role in Ryan Murphy’s Monsters, the Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which unfortunately did not make the final cut.

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Tatum O’Neal’s troubled history in Hollywood

Tatum O’Neal, who appeared in episodes of Sex and the City and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, was born to Ryan O’Neal and Joanna Moore, both Hollywood legends. They both had addiction issues - O’Neal told Variety that she was first given alcohol at age 6, and her father used to openly use drugs in front of her.

After her parents' divorce, O’Neal’s custody was awarded to her father. She detailed her father’s emotional abuse in her autobiography, A Paper Life.

O’Neal’s Oscar’s win was also marred by her father’s temper, who upon finding out that she was nominated instead of him, hit her, according to reports by Independent. He also didn’t attend the ceremony when she won the award. Variety also noted that a friend of her father had s*xually abused her.

O’Neal suffered a debilitating stroke in May 2020 after an overdose of pills. According to People Magazine, the stroke left her in a six-week long coma, and she was left unable to speak. During the Variety interview, which took place in 2025, O’Neal’s struggles with her memory become clear as a prominent effect of the stroke.

Tatum O’Neal had to contend with a strange reality when her father died in 2023. He excluded her name from his will, leading to a final closure of their troubled relationship, according to the actress’ confession in Variety.

It seems like Tatum O’Neal’s health is finally on track after having suffered a lifetime of abuse and struggles. The iconic actress who stole hearts as a mere 10-year-old, is back on the track to recovery.