Tatum O’Neal is pointing to her family’s troubled past as she speaks out about the unraveling of her half-brother, Redmond O’Neal, who recently appeared in a California courtroom with horn tattoos on his head while facing attempted murder charges.
According to the New York Post, the Oscar-winning actress said Redmond’s life has been consumed by addiction and instability for years, and she blamed much of it on the treatment he received from their late father, actor Ryan O’Neal.
“He’s doing very poorly, honey, very poorly,” Tatum, 62, told the Daily Mail.
“I love Red dearly, but he’s gotten heavy. He never even began a real life,” she added.
Redmond, the son of Ryan O’Neal and Farrah Fawcett, has spent years battling legal troubles, addiction, and mental health problems.
His latest court appearance drew renewed attention after photos showed him with tattooed devil horns and a drastically altered appearance.
Tatum described their upbringing as deeply damaging and said Redmond struggled from an early age.
“It was always drugs, drugs, drugs,” she said.
“It was a terrible beginning with my dad, Ryan, who wasn’t a very good person — and with Redmond, he was mean and hurt him over and over,” she continued. “It was horrifying and cruel.”
Tatum herself has openly discussed her own addiction struggles over the years. She spoke to the outlet from a memory care facility in California, where she continues treatment after suffering a stroke caused by a prescription drug overdose in 2020.
Their older brother, Griffin O’Neal, also reflected on the family’s chaotic history. Griffin, who had long been estranged from Ryan, said he’s surprised he and Tatum survived their upbringing.
David Leit, who became Redmond’s sponsor in a 12-step program in 2001, described him as deeply troubled but capable of kindness.
“I liked Redmond. He could be funny and caring but he was also a punk, very angry with a real addict personality,” Leit said.
Ryan and Redmond were both arrested in 2008 after police discovered methamphetamine in Ryan’s home during a parole check involving Redmond. Ryan later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and entered treatment.
In a 2009 Vanity Fair interview, Ryan openly discussed his son’s addiction problems and claimed Redmond had cycled through rehab repeatedly.
“He has addictions he can’t control; he goes to sleep in his food. He’s never been out on the street for a year, because whatever he did, he got caught,” Ryan said at the time.
Redmond’s legal troubles escalated in 2018 when he was accused of carrying out a violent knife spree across Los Angeles. Prosecutors alleged he attacked five men and robbed a 7-Eleven, seriously injuring two victims.
He was charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and battery. But the case has stalled for years after Redmond was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
He remains confined at Patton State Hospital after being ruled mentally unfit to stand trial.
