Why was Tatum O’Neal left out of Ryan O’Neal’s will? Oscar winner reacts to late father’s posthumous decision

Tatum O’Neal is the eldest child of late actor Ryan O’Neal. The history of their strained relationship is not something new.

The father-daughter duo worked together in Paper Moon. Tatum's relationship with her father reportedly turned sour when she was growing up. The estrangement led to Ryan O’Neal leaving Tatum out of his will, which the actress learned after his death. Tatum O’Neal was initially devastated, but she recently revealed the potential reason behind his father’s posthumous decision.

In an interview with Variety, the Oscar winner felt that her 2004 book, A Paper Life, might have been a reason behind her exclusion from Ryan O’Neal’s will. The book explored Tatum’s account of an abusive relationship with her father and other childhood traumas. She told Variety,

“The first book that I wrote was just a f*cking honest book. And that’s what got him.”

In a chat with Variety’s Kate Arthur, Tatum also gave a three-word response on being left out of Ryan O’Neal’s will.

“Keep it, motherf***er.”

Tatum O’Neal and her father’s relationship seemingly hit an all-time low when her first book came out. Following their public fallout, Ryan and Tatum tried to reconcile, but to no avail.

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Tatum O’Neal’s memoir, A Paper Life, recounts her personal turmoil and troubled childhood

Tatum made startling revelations with her bestselling memoir. The book delves into the allegations of mental and physical abuse she faced at the hands of her father, Ryan O’Neal. The popular child actor also claimed that she was molested by her father’s drug dealer at 12. Tatum O’Neal’s memoir also recounts her history of drug addiction and how it impacted her relationship with her kids.

The accusations made by Tatum faced a stern response from Ryan O’Neal, who issued a statement in 2004, per New York Daily News,

“It is a sad day when malicious lies are told in order to become a 'best-seller.’”

Ryan added,

“It is my hope that this book was written to serve as her therapy. If this is what she needed to do to wake each day and live with herself, then I can only support her healing process - good, bad and ugly. It is now my hope that she gets sober so that her perception of the future is nothing like her clouded memories of the past.”

In 2009, Ryan O’Neal again called out Tatum for her book during a chat with Vanity Fair after the death of his partner, Farrah Fawcett,

“She wrote a book—b****! How dare she throw our laundry in the street for money!”

They did try to reconcile after Fawcett’s death. In 2011, they collaborated for Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals, a docu-series for the Oprah Winfrey Network. After the show, Ryan told TV Guide,

“We only reconciled on the show, not in life. In fact we’re further apart now than when we started the show. So thanks, Oprah, for all your help.”

Years later, Ryan and Tatum O’Neal met in September 2020 when she visited him with her kids. Tatum’s son Sean McEnroe posted the picture of the reunion, expressing his happiness on Instagram. He captioned the post,

“This is one of the most memorable photos of my life. The last time we were all together was at the 30-year Paper Moon Anniversary in 2003. I could cry tears of gratitude that everyone in this photo is still alive and that we were all able to come together again after so many years of hardship. The entire West Coast is burning, but if the O’Neals can reconcile, truly anything is possible 🙏🏻☺️💛”

In May 2020, Tatum O’Neal suffered a stroke after an overdose, which left her comatose. Following a long path of recovery, she also tried to reconcile with his father, per The Hollywood Reporter. However, Ryan O'Neal passed away in December 2023 without seemingly reconciling with his daughter.