"Once I got arrested, I was just John McEnroe's dopey son essentially": When American icon's son Kevin opened up on feeling 'ashamed' over drug arrest
John McEnroe's son Kevin once opened up about his struggle to establish an individual identity apart from his famous parents, the American tennis legend and actress Tatum O'Neal. Kevin disclosed how his arrest for drug possession underscored the difficulty he faced in stepping out of his parents' shadows.
McEnroe and O'Neal tied the knot in 1986 and had three children together, Kevin, Sean, and Emily, before they parted ways in 1994 after six years of marriage.
Their divorce was famously contentious, with both parties accusing the other of using drugs. Although the couple initially shared joint custody of their children, the former World No. 1 was later awarded sole custody due to O'Neal's heroin addiction. However, the Hollywood star eventually got sober.
In 2014, John McEnroe and Tatum O'Neal's eldest son Kevin was arrested in New York after police saw him taking part in a drug transaction. He was reportedly found with six bags of cocaine, 20 white oxycodone pills, and 10 unidentified orange pills, leading to two charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance. However, the charges were dropped after he completed a drug rehabilitation program.
Kevin then chose to delve into his family's history of addiction issues in his 2015 novel 'Our Town,' dating back to Tatum O'Neal's mother Joanna Moore, who battled alcoholism and a painkiller dependency. In an interview with People that same year, Kevin expressed his belief that the real legacy passed down across generations was a lack of self-belief, insisting that addiction was "secondary."
Kevin also opened up about wanting to be known as more than just John McEnroe's or Tatum O'Neal's son, admitting that he was "dying" to be his own person.
"I wanted to not always be Tatum O'Neal's or John McEnroe's son. It changed the way people viewed you and I was always dying to be my own person," Kevin said.
Kevin emphasized how his struggle to be recognized as an individual was abundantly evident when the coverage of his drug arrest focused entirely on him being "McEnroe's son." He confessed to feeling "very ashamed" about not considering that his actions would result in such a "bad reflection" of his parents and family.
"Once I got arrested, I was just McEnroe's son, McEnroe's dopey son essentially. It didn't even say Kevin [in the New York Post story]. My name is 'McEnroe's son'. It was such a bad reflection on my family. I was very ashamed because I never wanted to do anything to him or my mom. I was too stupid to realize how big of a deal it really was," he said.
John McEnroe's son on being treated differently due to American legend's fame: "When I was playing tennis in high school, I used to say I was Kevin King"
During the same interview, John McEnroe and Tatum O'Neal's son Kevin opened up about living a life of privilege due to his high-profile parents, disclosing that it came with its own challenges.
McEnroe's son admitted that people treated him differently due to the seven-time Grand Slam champion's fame, leading him to adopt the name "Kevin King" while playing tennis in high school.
"I hated the way it changed how people treated you. I spent a lot of time hiding from it. When I was playing tennis in high school, I used to say I was Kevin King," he said.
Although all three of John McEnroe's and Tatum O'Neal's children played tennis in their youth, none of them chose to pursue it professionally. While Kevin became a writer, Sean made a name for himself as an artist and photographer, and Emily built a career as an actress and singer.