While discussing her memoir Rough Draft in 2022, journalist Katy Tur recalled that her father sometimes came home in rages, punched holes in walls and threw objects at her mother. Zoey Tur acknowledged that some of the incidents may have happened and apologized if the children felt intimidated. Katy did not claim to know what caused her father’s anger, and she explicitly declined to attribute it to her transition.
What Katy Tur recalled about her childhood home
In a June 2022 interview with CBS, Katy Tur described what she remembered from before her father announced her transition. She said he sometimes came home in a rage, punched holes in walls and threw objects, including batteries, at her mother. Tur described the violence as a recurring feature of home life as she experienced it as a child: “The violence was always there,” she said. “It felt like it was normal, like that was just how a relationship worked.” CBS News, June 10, 2022
These are Katy Tur’s recollections, not independent findings about every incident. Her account appears in several interviews tied to the publication of her memoir Rough Draft, including an extended conversation with NPR’s Fresh Air. NPR, June 2022
How Zoey Tur responded
CBS also reported Zoey Tur’s response to her daughter’s account. Zoey said throwing batteries “probably” happened and recalled “a couple” of instances of punching walls. She described the pressure of the news business as extraordinary and said she could be intimidating. “If the kids felt I was intimidating, I apologize. I did the best I could,” Zoey said. CBS News, June 10, 2022
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That response acknowledges the possibility of some described behavior and includes an apology for its effect on the children. It does not settle every detail of Katy’s memories, nor does the interview establish a full account of the family’s history.
What Katy said about her father’s transition
Katy’s father told her in 2013 that she was transitioning. The Washington Post Live transcript places the call while Katy was covering the Boston Marathon bombing. In recounting the earlier period, Katy said she uses he/him for her father before the transition announcement and she/her from the announcement onward. The Washington Post Live, June 21, 2022
When asked whether her father’s anger was driven by gender identity, Katy did not offer that explanation. She said, “I’m not a psychiatrist, and so I’m not going to venture to say where the root of everything was,” adding that it was for her father to answer definitively. She also said that her father’s transition did not make everything better between them. She described the conflict as involving both her father’s identity and her wish that past harms not be erased, while stating that the conflict was not because of the transition itself. The Washington Post Live, June 21, 2022
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Katy Tur discusses her family history and childhood in Rough Draft: A Memoir, published by Atria/One Signal. CBS lists hardcover, eBook and audio editions; current stock and prices depend on the bookseller. CBS News coverage of the memoir
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