# Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals... Really Oprah? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2011, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271 "2011-06-21T07:33:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/1 "2011-06-21T07:33:34Z")
Apparently Ryan and Tatum O’Neal are going to have a reality show about their incredibly fucked up (even by Hollywood standards) relationship. It’s going to air (or has aired) on Oprah’s network OWN. I have some sympathy for Tatum- it can’t have been easy being the daughter of a total world class textbook narcissist like Ryan O’Neal and a mother who wasn’t much better and then add the child star factor- she shot right out of her mother’s uterus on a collision course with a crack pipe. I hope her demons are more or less exorcised and she’s doing this just for money. Ryan O’Neal is the whiniest, most self pitying and self exonerating douchebag in christendom of course, so much so it’s a wonder he’s never gotten a job as a pundit on _Fox News_ or as a born againer on TBN. He’s not the train wreck of a Jeff Conaway- largely because he’s wealthier probably- but when you’ve produced three major league fucked up kids by two different women it probably means you’re a really shitty person and parent. (The only kid he has who seems to be socially acceptable, the sportscaster one, was raised mostly by his mother.) Farrah’s death rehabilitated her considerably, but she often seemed a drugged up airhead on talk shows, and all you need to know of her mothering skills is reflected in the fact she let her teenaged son do drugs with his dad in their house. There’s no way I could watch an entire episode of a series that is purportedly about Tatum and Ryan, long estranged, trying to men their relationship. I couldn’t make it through 10 minutes of Ryan on _Piers Morgan_. But, that said… and hypocrisy acknowledged- anybody watched it or plan on watching it? And how was its trainwreck factor?😉 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/2 "2011-06-21T07:38:00Z")
[Oh God oh man oh God oh man.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KyBdPeKHg) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/3 "2011-06-21T07:39:57Z")
You’ve already told me more about them in your OP than I ever wanted to know, so you’ve made a reality series entirely redundant. I would ask who the other kids are and who the other mom is, but I need to keep the importance of this information in mind. And the importance is zero. But… I will tell my sister about this show. She’s getting a little tired of the Kardashians. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/4 "2011-06-21T07:41:30Z")
Ryan on Piers Morgan saying [Tatum may have caused Farrah’s cancer](http://gawker.com/5813902/the-worst-four-minutes-of-ryan-oneals-cringeworthy-interview-with-piers-morgan) ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/5 "2011-06-21T09:17:23Z")
[Pretty much a…](http://www.starzlife.com/wp-content/files/2009/05/train-wreck-1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/6 "2011-06-21T12:11:52Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Ryan on Piers Morgan saying [Tatum may have caused Farrah’s cancer](http://gawker.com/5813902/the-worst-four-minutes-of-ryan-oneals-cringeworthy-interview-with-piers-morgan) There are no words. Yanno, the OP pretty much nailed it in the thread title. Fine, the O’Neals, whatever, makes sense that someone would eventually pay them money to spew this crap on TV – but Oprah? I’ve always had a modicum of respect for the woman. This is … sad. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/7 "2011-06-21T12:42:13Z")
Name: Farrah Leni Fawcett Age: 62 Date of Death: June 25, 2009 Cause of Death: Tatum O’Neal ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/8 "2011-06-21T15:22:24Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > [Oh God oh man oh God oh man.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KyBdPeKHg) Is that George Lucas directing under a pseudonym. “Nuance is for artsy fartsy films about French painters and talking frogs, we need you to take that up a bit, this time we won’t you to _really_ hit the words… and we need louder music.” [QUOTE=Sigmagirl] Name: Farrah Leni Fawcett Age: 62 Date of Death: June 25, 2009 Cause of Death: Tatum O’Neal [/QUOTE] Farrah died of anal cancer and was so weak she was mute towards the end. Tatum O’Neal is an anagram of Anal Mute To. And I’m guessing that ‘to’ is to Farrah. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/9 "2011-06-21T15:27:07Z")
Ryan said that he accidentally hit on Tatum at Farrah’s funeral (he didn’t recognize her). There’s nothing this reality show can do to top that moment. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/10 "2011-06-21T15:34:30Z")
If personality is determined by genetics then one of Tatum’s kids by McEnroe must surely be the next Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/11 "2011-06-21T15:44:34Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Ryan said that he accidentally hit on Tatum at Farrah’s funeral (he didn’t recognize her). There’s nothing this reality show can do to top that moment. I caught a few minutes of O’Neal on Oprah last night. He was talking about how he always confused Tatum and Farrah’s names. He’d say Tatum when he meant Farrah, etc. And then in the next sentence, he did it. His confusion confused him. I might watch a reality show featuring Tatum – she’s kind of interesting and I liked her work in Rescue Me – but Ryan doesn’t need any more attention. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/12 "2011-06-21T16:30:35Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Tatum O’Neal is an anagram of Anal Mute To. Not to mention “Atonal Mute,” “Oatmeal Nut,” and “A Tuna Motel.” Come on, people… connect the dots! ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/13 "2011-08-04T19:16:51Z")
I am waking up this thread since I am watching the show and finding it interesting. It just so happens that I had recently read Tatum’s book, A Paper Life, and stumbled upon the series soon after. I find the dynamics between Ryan and Tatum interesting but more, how they seem to have two entirely different sets of memories of the past. Ryan seems to simply want to have a relationship with his daughter and Tatum needs to have the entire past rehashed to find some kind of closure to be able to have a relationship with her father. Anyone else watching? I’d be interested in other people’s opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/14 "2011-08-04T19:26:19Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Ryan O’Neal is the whiniest, most self pitying and self exonerating douchebag in christendom of course, so much so it’s a wonder he’s never gotten a job as a pundit on _Fox News_ or as a born againer on TBN…a really shitty person and parent. You should tell him all that. Preferably in the middle of a harpsichord recital. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/15 "2011-08-04T19:39:00Z")
I agree the show sounds like a train wreck, but no more so than most of the celebrity pseudo-reality crap that’s everywhere these days. The “Really Oprah?” in the thread title suggests you were expecting something better from the Winfrey Media Machine. I certainly wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/16 "2011-08-05T01:46:49Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > You should tell him all that. Preferably in the middle of a harpsichord recital. I don’t want to have to say “I’m sorry”. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/17 "2011-08-05T02:13:37Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > The “Really Oprah?” in the thread title suggests you were expecting something better from the Winfrey Media Machine. I certainly wasn’t. Can’t argue with that. At least this one’s unlikely to kill anyone, unlike The Secret that everything that’s wrong with your life is actually your fault, or the leg-up she gave the Poxbearer. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/18 "2011-08-05T04:33:32Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I don’t want to have to say “I’m sorry”. You don’t have to. [Just keep your kidneys protected.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYnclATZTZU&feature=player_detailpage#t=169s) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ryan-tatum-the-oneals-really-oprah/586271/19 "2011-08-05T16:53:25Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > You don’t have to. [Just keep your kidneys protected.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYnclATZTZU&feature=player_detailpage#t=169s) Ah- I mistook the above reference for a _Love Story_ one. (There’s a harpsichord scene in that one as well, just not as prominent.)