stating:
"I went with her for ten years."
Opening up about his past mistakes and how he treated the actress was probably helpful for him, but Ryan fans weren't pleased and slammed him. Below is a look at how the former couple's relationship began and ended in a heartbreaking breakup.
Mellencamp and Elaine Irwin, his wife of nearly twenty years, separated in December 2010. Not long afterward, speculations started that the singer might be dating Ryan after she divorced Dennis Quaid almost ten years before.
John Mellencamp and Meg Ryan seen walking in Manhattan on December 3, 2018, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
The actress and the musician allegedly started seeing one another around the time Mellencamp's marriage failed. The same month he separated from his wife, he and Ryan were seen at Martha's Vineyard looking quite close.
They were also spotted taking walks in the streets of New York City. A source who saw the pair grocery shopping in SoHo confessed that they thought the artist was the actress's husband because they were comfortable and familiar.
John Cougar Mellencamp and Meg Ryan seen on June 24, 2013, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
The insider even described them as looking like an old married couple. The following year, the duo kept their romance private, but there were moments when they proved they were still together by being seen holding hands in the streets.
That same year, Ryan sold her Bel Air home, leaving people speculating about her moving in with her boyfriend. However, by August 2014, it was revealed that the couple had quietly concluded their relationship after dating for over three years.
John Mellencamp, Meg Ryan, and Jack Quaid at a game at Madison Square Garden on December 25, 2017, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
A source claimed distance pushed them over the edge, with Ryan still living in New York and the rock star in Indiana. In December 2015, the actress revealed that she was taking a break from having a love life because she wanted to reserve the love she had to give to her two children and the happenings in her world.
The star confessed to loving being 54, her life, what she knew, and the person she'd evolved into and had become. She admitted to being "scrappy" before but that it came with age for things to start easing down.
Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp at Taormina Filmfest on June 20, 2013, in Taormina, Italy | Source: Getty Images
In March 2017, during his interview with Howard Stern on his SiriusXM radio show, Mellencamp addressed his past relationship with Ryan, noting how women hated him but that he'd loved the actress. However, in his June 2023 interview, he added:
"She hates me to death."
Months later that same year, the former couple rekindled their relationship, and on November 8, 2018, the rock singer surprised and thrilled his Instagram followers when he revealed they were engaged! However, Ryan and Mellencamp never tied the knot, and fans were upset about the musician's take on their relationship.
On June 17, 2023, a publication shared side-by-side images of Mellencamp and Ryan, noting how the former had owned up to his part in their breakup. The post also revealed the singer's words from his Esquire interview, where he described himself as a bad boyfriend.
Meg Ryan at Meet the Creators at Apple Store Soho on June 3, 2013, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
It was also noted how the former couple dated for almost four years before calling off their engagement. Fans rushed to criticize the artist, with one person asking, "What grown human" said they "went with" someone else.
John Mellencamp at Meet the Creators at Apple Store Soho on June 3, 2013, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
A fan's comment on Pop Culture's Instagram post on John Mellencamp's statement about his ex-girlfriend, Meg Ryan, on June 17, 2023 | Source: Instagram/popculture
A fan's comment on Pop Culture's Instagram post on John Mellencamp's statement about his ex-girlfriend, Meg Ryan, on June 17, 2023 | Source: Instagram/popculture
The fan referred to Mellencamp's statement that he dated the actress for ten years. Another person also focused on that sentence, sharing how they "went with someone" in the fifth grade for only one day!
A fan's comment on Pop Culture's Instagram post on John Mellencamp's statement about his ex-girlfriend, Meg Ryan, on June 17, 2023 | Source: Instagram/popculture
A fan's comment on Pop Culture's Instagram post on John Mellencamp's statement about his ex-girlfriend, Meg Ryan, on June 17, 2023 | Source: Instagram/popculture
A fan's comment on Pop Culture's Instagram post on John Mellencamp's statement about his ex-girlfriend, Meg Ryan, on June 17, 2023 | Source: Instagram/popculture
A third person felt the rock star using the words "went with" showed that his level of maturity "peaked" when he was in the seventh grade. Someone else had an issue with Ryan's ex-boyfriend referring to her as a "girl" when she was a grown woman, while another stated:
"Glad Meg got out of that one! She stuck around way too long."
A fan's comment on Pop Culture's Instagram post on John Mellencamp's statement about his ex-girlfriend, Meg Ryan, on June 17, 2023 | Source: Instagram/popculture
A fan's comment on Pop Culture's Instagram post on John Mellencamp's statement about his ex-girlfriend, Meg Ryan, on June 17, 2023 | Source: Instagram/popculture
The Instagram user thought the musician sounded "like a toddler" and noted how "unattractive" that was. Another follower wanted to know who called someone by their full name after having an intimate relationship with them. At the same time, a social media user mimicked the previous fan by saying:
"What a toddler."
A fan's comment on Pop Culture's Instagram post on John Mellencamp's statement about his ex-girlfriend, Meg Ryan, on June 17, 2023 | Source: Instagram/popculture
Someone else also took the actress's side and returned to the "I went with her" statement that the singer made about Ryan and noted how displeasing it was. The person felt it made the artist "sound like a kid."
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