Ryan O'Neal Reveals the Truth About His Reality Show

The star admits that he and daughter Tatum "are even further apart now," after their show aired on OWN -- says, "Thanks, Oprah"

Jennifer Graham Kizer ON Sep 9, 2011 at 4:28PM

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Here's a news flash: Not everything you see on reality TV is actually real. The latest example of this phenomenon: Ryan O'Neal is revealing the truth about Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals, which chronicled the reconciliation of the actor's relationship with estranged daughter, Tatum. The series aired this summer on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network.

"We only reconciled on the show," he told TV Guide. "Not in life. In fact, we're further apart now than we were when we started the show. So thanks, Oprah, for all your help."

To be fair, their relationship wasn't exactly portrayed as sunshine and rainbows on the show. In this clip from the final episode last month, the two remain somewhat antagonistic towards each other, even while agreeing to continue therapy.

But O'Neal has said that he was disappointed by Winfrey's lack of participation in the show overall.

"I thought that was the thing -- that Oprah would be there and use her magic on us," he told xfinityTV back in June. "I thought she’d bless us and that would help. We spent New Year’s Eve with her, and she was very encouraging. Then we never saw her again. And haven’t heard from her. When she finished her show, I supposed she’d come by and talk to us, but they said no, she’s going on holiday. So Tatum and I were left to deal with each other on our own."

Hmmm. Maybe they should have gone to Dr. Phil?

Do you think Oprah should have invested more personal time in 'The O'Neals'? Click to comment!

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