What Happened To Michael Oher And The Tuohy Family? The Blind Side True Story Update
What Happened To Michael Oher And The Tuohy Family? The former offensive tackler appears to have fallen out of love with the Tuohys.
The 2009 movie The Blind Side told the story of former footballer Michael Oher and his unlikely relationship with the Tuohy family.
Based on the real-life incident of a Caucasian family adopting a troubled African-American teenager, the film succeeded in spreading the message of “don’t judge others based on their race or color.”
Despite receiving a mixed review, the film was a massive box office success with over $300 million in gross earnings. For her performance of the family matriarch Leigh Anne Tuohy, Sandra Bullock won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 2010.
The film was also nominated for Best Picture but lost to The Hurt Locker.
The Blind Side focused on telling the story of how Michael Oher went on to become a pro footballer from a homeless guy. It also sheds light on his relationship with the Tuohy family which consists of Leigh Anne Tuohy, her husband Sean Tuohy, daughter Collins Tuohy, and son Sean Jr.
The sports drama featured Bullock and Quinton Aaron in the roles of Leigh Anne and Oher. Meanwhile, actors like Jae Head, Lily Collins, Tim McGraw, and Kathy Bates, appear in the supporting roles of Sean Jr, Collins, Sean Tuohy, and Miss Sue, respectively.
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What Happened To Michael Oher And The Tuohy Family?
Michael Oher and the Tuohy family have fallen out and appear to be on non-speaking terms as of 2023.
Michael is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee, where he runs his non-profit Michael Oher Foundation. Meanwhile, the Tuohy family is mostly based in Memphis.
Oher shared a loving bond with each member of the family. Although he doesn’t meet them as often as when he was a football player, Michael still holds a special place in his heart for the Tuohys.
The former footballer also worked closely with the Making it Happen Foundation, which is run by Leigh Anne and her husband Sean Tuohy. Likewise, their kids Collins and Sean Jr also regularly participate in the foundation’s works.
Is Michael Oher Still Close To The Tuohy Family?
Michael appeared to be close to the Tuohy family up until 2021. However, in the last two years, rumors have surfaced that they have grown apart.
The rumors became prominent at the end of 2022 when the Tuohys were not seen at Michael’s wedding with his longtime partner Tiffany Roy.
When Michael got married to Tiffany on November 5, 2022, none of the Tuohy family members were photographed at the ceremony. Also, neither of the four Tuohys shared a congratulatory message with Oher on his special day.
As of 2023, the former footballer also doesn’t follow anyone from the family on Instagram. While many of his fans dismiss the factors as circumstantial, others believe that Michael has grown distant from the Tuohys.
Meanwhile, many netizens blame the current political scenario and even the film The Blind Side for a potentially fractured relationship between the two parties.
The Pop Culture Chat community on Reddit tried to address the issue via a discussion in 2022. Some of the Redditors blamed the current political discourse as the potential reason for the family falling apart with George Floyd’s death acting as the trigger.
Similarly, some netizens believed that the Tuohy family’s alliance with the Republican party caused Oher to grow distant from them. Meanwhile, others believe that the over-glorification of a white family in The Blind Side was the main factor behind the feud.
Meanwhile, none of the theories provide any evidence to prove their case. And, even though Michael might be rebelling against the Tuohys by not inviting them to his wedding or by unfollowing them on social media, Leigh Anne still considers Oher her son and mentions him as a valued family member on her official website.
Michael Oher and Leigh Anne Tuohy relationship
Leigh Anne Tuohy initiated Michael Oher adoption into her family as her son. Despite their distance, they are still family whether they want to accept it or not.
As shown in The Blind Side, Leigh Anne was the one to come up with the idea of adopting Michael as a member of her family.
Tuohy and her husband Sean first crossed paths with Oher back in 2004. After initially allowing him to live at their home temporarily, they later made the decision to legally adopt him.
The couple hired a private tutor so he could meet the minimum grades required to be eligible for a football scholarship. Oher enrolled at the University of Mississippi to play football for the Ole Miss Rebels, where Sean is a former basketball player and Leigh was a cheerleader. After his move to Rebels, the NCAA launched an investigation on whether or not the Tuohys unduly influenced him to choose the team.
As of 2023, we know for sure that Leigh Anne and Michael are not actively interacting on social media. But, the mother-son duo could still be communicating through other mediums.
The last time Anne mentioned Oher on Instagram was in January 2021. She shared a five-year-old throwback featuring herself, Sean, and Michael after his first Super Bowl win with the Ravens.
Michael Oher and Tuohy Family Now
Michael Oher and the Tuohy family are now busy with their respective lives. The younger siblings Collins Tuohy and Sean Tuohy Jr have also grown up.
Michael is a happily married man with a loving wife named Tiffany Roy. The couple was together for 17 years before getting married on November 5, 2022.
Tiffany is an entrepreneur who owns and manages an online clothing line called The Feminish Collection. She and her husband share four children from their marriage: two sons named Kobi and MJ, and two daughters called Naivi and Kierstin.
At the same time, Leigh Anne and her husband Sean Tuohy are enjoying their retired lives while also providing valuable contributions to society via their Making It Happen Foundation.
The couple still fosters underprivileged children from minority communities and helps them find permanent homes and families. The pair also owns 11 fast-food franchises in Tennessee; however, the number is significantly lower than the 115 businesses the couple owned at one point.
Michael’s sister Collins Tuohy co-owns an online cookie company called Whimsy Cookie Company.
Collins is married to former college quarterback Cannon Smith, who is also the son of billionaire Fred Smith. The pair got married in 2016 after years of dating. Oher was also present at the wedding held in Memphis, Tennessee.
Michael’s younger brother Sean Tuohy Jr, also known as SJ, is currently a football coach and administrator. He works at the University of Central Florida and serves as the Director of Football Operations, and Chief of Staff for the university football team, the Knights.
Sean is a former college footballer and basketball player. He initially played basketball for the Loyola University Maryland Athletics but later transferred to Southern Methodist University. He played football for the SMU Mustangs.
How Much Of The Blind Side Is True?
While The Blind Side is mostly based on true events, some scenes were exaggerated for dramatic purposes.
The 2009 movie is based on the 2006 book titled The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game written by author Michael Lewis. Although the book is considered to be accurate, the filmmakers took a few liberty in some of the scenes.
Critics often point out the fact that the movie used racial stereotypes to portray the character of Michael. The movie shows Oher as a simpleton acting on his instincts rather than intellect. The former footballer is also shown to be a slow learner who has difficulty reading and understanding the rules of football.
Upon the release of the film adaptation in 2009, Michael expressed his dissatisfaction regarding his onscreen portrayal. The former athlete mentioned in his book “I Beat The Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond” that he was never a dumb kid. Instead, the film should have shown him as a troubled kid who never received the required academic lessons and sports training in the first place. But, once he received the necessary instructions, he overcame his previous challenges and shortcomings.
However, Michael’s portrayal isn’t the only problem of the movie, according to critics. Viewers, especially from the African-American community, have also raised concerns about the over-glorification of the Tuohy family.
Netizens have raised issues that the Tuohys were portrayed to be flawless human beings. Additionally, some critics argue that the movie shows charity to be an act only committed by white people.
