Is Meg Ryan in a Relationship? Her Marriage to Dennis Quaid & More Romances
Meg Ryan will be back in the spotlight when she attends the 2026 Academy Awards on March 15. Ryan will be in attendance to take part in a tribute to Rob Reiner, the director of her beloved 1989 rom-com When Harry Met Sally.
Three months after Reiner’s death, Ryan and her When Harry Met Sally costar, Billy Crystal, along with other stars from Reiner’s films, will honor the late filmmaker during the In Memoriam segment at the Oscars.
With Ryan making a major public appearance, we’re refreshing ourselves on her romantic history away from the cameras. Scroll down for more.
Is Meg Ryan in a relationship?
No, Ryan is not believed to currently be in a relationship. Her most recent public romance was with John Mellencamp, but they split in 2019 (more on that below).
Who was Meg Ryan’s husband?
Ryan has only been married one time. She tied the knot with Dennis Quaid in February 1991. The two met on the 1987 film Innerspace, but didn’t start dating until the following year when they worked on another movie, D.O.A, together.
In 2000, the former couple announced that they had separated. Their divorce was finalized the following year.
Quaid admitted in a 2024 interview that Ryan’s career taking off after they got married contributed to the split. “I tried to be a big person and tell myself that didn’t bother me, but people are human,” he shared. As he pointed out, Ryan’s career began “ascending” at the same time he entered rehab in the 1990s.
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However, he added that he has “no regrets” about the relationship and said, “Meg is really such a great, sweet person and really talented and deserved all her success.”
Infidelity rumors plagued the ex-couple, and it was speculated that the marriage ended because of Ryan’s subsequent relationship with Russell Crowe, whom she briefly dating in 2000 after they met on set of the movie Proof of Life.
She clarified in 2006, though, that “it was never about another man. It was just about what my and Dennis’ relationship couldn’t sustain.” Ryan also later alleged to InStyle, “Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful. I found out more about that once I was divorced.”
What happened between Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp?
Ryan and Mellencamp were together on and off from 2010 to 2019. They were first spotted together in 2011, but split in 2014 after more than three years as a couple. It wasn’t until 2017 that they reunited and got back together.
Ryan confirmed the pair’s reconciliation in 2018 and revealed that they were engaged. In 2019, she told InStyle, “Yes, I’m going to get married at some point. But for now, this engagement thing is a state of grace.”
The sentiment was short-lived, though, as Ryan called off the engagement in October 2019 and the relationship ended for good. Mellencamp told Esquire in 2023 that Ryan was a “great girl,” but admitted that he was a “s**tty boyfriend.”
Did Meg Ryan date Tom Hanks?
No, although Ryan and Hanks costarred in three rom-coms together (Joe Versus the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail), they were never romantically involved. Hanks also made a cameo in the 2015 film Ithaca, which was directed by Ryan.
“I must say, Meg and I are not real close pals,” Hanks previously told Entertainment Tonight. “We see each other every now and again. It’s like, we don’t hang out for coffee. … But when we pick up, we just pick up where we left off, and it’s an effortless thing that I don’t think either one of us examines it too much because if we did, it’d be a problem.”
In 2018, Ryan said that she and Hanks work so well together because they both don’t care for drama. “We’re just really there to have fun,” she explained. “This is supposed to be a creative experience, and there’s no reason to get heavy.”
Does Meg Ryan have kids?
Yes, Ryan has two children. Her son, Jack Quaid, whom she shares with her ex-husband, was born in 1992. Jack has followed in his parents’ footsteps and now works as an actor. His notable roles are in Scream 5, The Boys, and Oppenheimer.
In 2006, Ryan adopted her daughter, Daisy, from China. The toddler was 14 months old at the time. “I always thought I’d adopt, and at various points I was on the brink of it,” Ryan told The Sunday Times in 2024. “But it was particular to Daisy, I guess. I don’t know how events conspired to bring us together, but it was perfect.”
Daisy is mostly a private figure, but Ryan revealed in the 2024 interview that she was studying English literature in college in the United Kingdom. “She’s hoping to study in Bath one day,” Ryan added.
2026 Oscars, Sunday, March 15, 7/6c, ABC
