Entertainment · Celebrity · 5 hrs ago
Kevin McEnroe describes growing up amid his mother's addiction
Kevin McEnroe says his mother, actress Tatum O'Neal, struggled with drugs throughout his childhood.
He recalled that she sometimes left in the middle of the night to get high, and that he and his siblings would sometimes wake to find her gone.
His parents, O'Neal and tennis player John McEnroe, divorced in 1994, and O'Neal lost custody in 1998 as her drug dependence worsened.
O'Neal's last reported overdose, in 2020, caused a stroke that left her relearning how to read, speak and walk.
McEnroe also says he struggled with addiction to Xanax, vodka and heroin, and has been sober for seven years.
He has written about their family history and says he remains proud of his mother, who is still recovering from the stroke.
Kevin McEnroe says his mother, actress Tatum O'Neal, struggled with drug addiction throughout his childhood and sometimes left home during the night.
He says the secrecy around her addiction created a divide between her public image and family life.
McEnroe, now seven years sober from addiction to Xanax, vodka and heroin, has written about his childhood in an essay for The Small Bow.
O'Neal lost custody of McEnroe and his siblings in 1998 as her drug dependence intensified.
She suffered a stroke after an overdose in 2020 and is still recovering.
- Who
- Kevin McEnroe, son of Tatum O'Neal and John McEnroe, is discussing his childhood.
- What
- He has written about growing up amid his mother's addiction and says she sometimes left home during the night to get high.
- When
- The article was published on November 4, 2026. McEnroe's essay is described as recent, but its publication date is not stated.
- Where
- The essay appeared on The Small Bow literary site.
- Why
- McEnroe said decades of secrecy made him feel he was doing his mother a disservice, so he decided to speak openly.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Kevin McEnroe's parents divorced when he was six years old.
Tatum O'Neal lost custody of her children as her drug dependence intensified.
O'Neal overdosed and suffered a stroke that left her relearning to read, speak and walk.
O'Neal gave a speech at McEnroe's wedding to Fern Cozine in Napa, California.
The Daily Mail published its article about McEnroe discussing his childhood.
- Family
- Kevin McEnroe is the son of Tatum O'Neal and John McEnroe.
- Sobriety
- McEnroe is described as seven years sober from Xanax, vodka and heroin.
- Siblings
- Sean and Emily McEnroe are identified as his siblings.
- Custody
- O'Neal lost custody in 1998.
- Overdose
- O'Neal suffered a stroke after an overdose in 2020.
- Essay
- McEnroe wrote about his childhood for The Small Bow.
What people are saying
She’s had a drug problem as long as I can remember
She would leave often in the middle of the night, try to get back before we were awake, but sometimes we would wake up and she wasn’t there, and that’s pretty scary.
I had this deep feeling that if she lost us, she would die
He has brutal honesty, which is beautiful