Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy appeared in a 2017 episode of 'Below Deck.'
In light of the recent legal drama between Michael Oher and the Tuohy family, a 2017 episode of Below Deck featuring Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy in which Sean claims he required script approval for the film The Blind Side has resurfaced on TikTok.
In the clip from user @itsabigailadams, patriarch Sean is discussing how the team behind The Blind Side movie gained the rights to use the Tuohy family's name.
"The writer of the book, he and I went to school together since we were five years old," Sean says, referencing writing Michael Lewis, who penned the book that the movie was adapted from. "So I get a call — Steven Spielberg, Harvey Weinstein — I had to give them the rights to use our name, and I said, 'I'll give you the rights if I get to read the script and approve it or un-approve it.' So, sure enough, seven months later we get an envelope in the mail."
The season 5 episode of the Bravo show is titled "Blindsided," and features both Sean and Leigh Anne on board the yacht. In the episode description, Leigh Anne and her friends are described as "a challenge" for the Below Deck crew.
@itsabigailadams its been on my mind ALL DAY #belowdeck #belowdeckbravo #bravo #theblindside #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Abigail Adams
The footage has resurfaced in light of Oher's lawsuit against the Tuohys, claiming the family tricked him into signing paperwork that made them his conservators shortly after he turned 18 in 2004. In the petition, which was filed on Monday in Tennessee, Oher claims that at the time he thought the papers were a part of the adoption process, but that in reality they gave the Tuohy's legal authority to make business deals in his name.
Oher has since requested to terminate the conservatorship, a request the Tuohy family lawyer claims the family plans to approve.
In an interview with the Daily Memphian, Sean said the family is "devastated" by Oher's claims, calling them "insulting."
"It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16," he added.
Things have continued to get messy between the Tuohys and Oher after the Tuohy's family attorney, Marty Singer, claimed that Oher, prior to filing his petition in court, allegedly threatened the family that if they didn't fork over an eight-figure check, he would plant a negative story about them in the press.
Furthermore, the Tuohys deny "tricking" Oher into a conservatorship, and any claims that they went behind his back to score a lucrative movie deal is just not true.
"The notion that a couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars would connive to withhold a few thousand dollars in profit participation payments from anyone -- let alone from someone they loved as a son -- defies belief," Singer told ET in a lengthy statement.
Lewis, the author behind the 2006 book The Blind Side and a childhood friend of Sean's, also spoke to The Washington Post about the situation.
"What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close," Lewis said. "They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that -- I feel sad for him."
After filing the lawsuit, Oher said in a statement to ET, "I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit today. This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment."
Oher has previously been vocal about not liking his portrayal in the 2009 film, which starred Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron.
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