“The Blind Side” author, Michael Lewis, alleged that Michael Oher refused to accept his profits from the film, as he defended the Tuohy family against allegations that they withheld Oher’s finances.
Lewis alleged that Oher declined to accept royalty checks from the movie and pushed back against Oher’s claims that Sean and Leigh Tuohy took advantage of him by taking his earnings, according to The Washington Post. The NFL star alleged the Tuohy family made millions off his profits and refused to share even a penny with him, during a recent interview with the Washington Post. He also alleged he was never adopted by the Tuohy’s and was forced to live under their control, as part of a conservatorship.
#TheBlindSide author, Michael Lewis, is sharing his take on the legal drama between Michael Oher and the Tuohy family. He breaks down how profits were allegedly divided: https://t.co/CkHwaVpKfR pic.twitter.com/rd6DJ5NaAB
— E! News (@enews) August 18, 2023
Lewis denied Oher’s allegations against the Tuohys and slammed Oher for attempting to drag their name.
“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,” he said. “Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system.”
“Michael Oher should join the writers strike. It’s outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys’ pockets,” he said.
Lewis went on to clarify how the money was distributed.
He said 20th Century Fox paid $250,000 for the rights to “The Blind Side,” which was reportedly split 50-50 with the Tuohy family. The Tuohys alleged they shared the profits evenly amongst their family and were adamant that Oher was evenly cut into the financial distribution, according to The Washington Post.
Lewis said he took home around $70,000 for optioning the story. In addition, Lewis said he and the actors, including Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw and Lily Collins were offered a portion of the movie’s net earnings.
Lewis claimed the Tuohy family received $350,000 each from “The Blind Side” movie, after taxes and agent fees.
Michael Lewis, the author of The Blind Side whose story inspired the 2009 film, has weighed in on Michael Oher’s claims that the Tuohy family have withheld movie profits from him. https://t.co/o8Mvd5L34c
— E! News (@enews) August 17, 2023
The author noted he believed the Tuohy family “deposited Oher’s share in a trust fund for Oher’s son,” according to The Washington Post.
Oher alleged that the Tuohys and their two biological children each earned $225,000 plus 2.5% of the “defined net proceeds” from “The Blind Side” and alleged he didn’t make anything at all. (RELATED: Tuohy Family From ‘The Blind Side’ Agrees To End 19-Year Conservatorship Over Michael Oher)
Oher asked a Tennessee court to terminate his conservatorship and requested they issue an injunction to prohibit the Tuohys from using his name and likeness. He is seeking his “fair share of profits,” plus “unspecified compensatory and punitive damages,” and has demanded a full accounting of the money earned, according to The Washington Post.