by he newest dysfunctional family to jump onto the reality series bandwagon looks to be Ryan O’Neal’s clan.
The O’Neals debuted last week to coincide with daughter Tatum O’Neal’s newest autobiography, “Found.” The new series follows Tatum as she tries to repair a 25-year rift with her father.
The O’Neal saga reads like a crack house version of Peyton Place. Actor Ryan O’Neal rose to prominence in the soap opera series and later in the 1970 film Love Story. While his hot temper and many affairs with women were widely publicized, his drug use was not. With his first wife, Ryan had daughter Tatum and son Griffin, and then another son, Patrick, with his second wife, and his youngest child, Redmond, with Farrah Fawcett.
According to Tatum, who also starred with her father in the 1973 Paper Moon and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 10, Ryan was an abusive parent early on. He also supposedly became a neglectful one when he abandoned his children to fend for themselves after beginning a relationship with Farrah Fawcett in 1979 (while she was still married to his close friend Lee Majors by the way).
In the years since, all kinds of crazy stuff went down. Rumors of Ryan assaulting Farrah. Ryan and Farrah breaking up, then reuniting, then breaking up again. Tatum attempting suicide at the age of 13. Griffin driving the boat in the accident that killed his friend, Gian-Carlo Coppola. Tatum losing custody of her children due to addiction. Ryan diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. Ryan arrested for assaulting Griffin and using a gun in 2007. Tatum arrested with crack cocaine in 2008. Ryan and Redmond arrested on drug charges. Redmond sentenced to prison. Farrah dying from cancer in 2009.
And those are just the highlights.
Sober for over a year, Tatum has now written two autobiographies, addressing her family life and struggles with heroin and crack addiction. She currently is making the talk show circuit and is once again estranged from Ryan, who is not showing up to his talk show appointments with his daughter.
Tatum is insinuating he is once again in the throes of addiction.
As far as the show The O’Neals goes, the two episodes I have seen hint at some serious psychological issues on Ryan’s part, as he continues to make excuses for the abuse and neglect of his children.
Fellow Telegraph reporter Cynthia Ellis says she watches it “so she can feel more normal.”
I couldn’t have put it better myself.
But I’ll try.
Being raised in a religious cult and writing a book about the Manson Family STILL doesn’t even put me in the same BALLPARK with these people. Ryan O’Neal, who Sharon Osbourne (SHARON OSBOURNE) refers to as “creepy,” is definitely giving John Phillips a run for his money in the “worst father in the history of humanity” category
