Iconic Oscar-Winning Actress Tatum O’Neal Seen in Rare Public Appearance After Near-Fatal Stroke

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Oscar-winning actress Tatum O’Neal, celebrated for her role in “Paper Moon,” “The Bad News Bears,” and “Little Darlings,” was seen in an ultra-rare public appearance. In photos obtained by Page Six and published Tuesday, October 27, the actress is seen using a cane for support and walking alongside her daughter Emily McEnroe, whom she shares with her ex-husband, tennis legend John McEnroe, and son-in-law Tim Massarelli. 

Tatum O’Neal Seen in Rare Public Appearance 

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Tatum O’Neal, 62, makes rare public outing with family 6 years after near-fatal stroke t.co/fFutMgi5An

10:11 pm · 27 Oct 2026

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O’Neal wore a black midi dress with a blazer over it and flat black loafers. She looked healthy. The photos were taken over the past weekend, and mark an incredibly rare public outing for the actress. Although she has mostly disappeared from the public eye and revealed in 2023 that she suffered a near-fatal stroke, O’Neal has been more active on social media lately, much to the delight of her fans. 

On October 17, the former child star posted a selfie on Instagram of herself with dark hair. She smiles for the camera in a photo that appears to have been taken in her bedroom. In the caption, she wrote just one word: “hope.”

Fans flooded the comment section with hopeful messages of their own. “You look beautiful! As a kid, when I saw The Bad News Bear, I wanted to be you. Strong and speaks her mind,” a comment reads. “Love you Tatum,” another fan shared. Other reactions include, “God Bless and never lose Hope!” “Love you, Tatum o Neal, so blessed I got to meet you, praying all the time for you,” and “Hope is the answer to so many things.”

Tatum O’Neal Bravely Shares Details of Her Stroke 

O’Neal opened up about her stroke in a 2023 interview with People. She told the publication that it happened in May 2020 after she overdosed on drugs. She had struggled with addiction for decades prior to this. The stroke left her in a six-week coma. “I almost died,” she said. 

Her son, Kevin McEnroe, joined her for the interview and revealed his thoughts at the time. “It was the phone call we’d always been waiting for,” he said. “She also had a cardiac arrest and a number of seizures. There were times we didn’t think she was going to survive.”

O’Neal had become extremely isolated shortly before her overdose. “With the addition of morphine and heavier pharmaceuticals, it was getting scary. COVID, chronic pain, all these things led to a place of isolation. In that place, I don’t think, for her, there was much hope,” Kevin said. He also reflected on his mother’s stroke resulting in “damage to her right frontal cortex.” 

They thought O’Neal would die. “At times, it was touch and go,” he said. “I had to call my brother and sister and say she was thought to be blind, deaf, and potentially might never speak again.” When O’Neal woke up, she didn’t know where she was and couldn’t speak. It has been a long, hard road to recovery, which is why the word “hope” has so much significance for O’Neal and her family.