John Mellencamp says he was a ‘s***ty boyfriend’ to Meg Ryan

American musician John Mellencamp has admitted he was a “s***ty” boyfriend to actor Meg Ryan throughout their decade-long relationship.

The “Jack and Diane” singer, 71, recently opened up about his past relationship regrets in an interview with Esquire published on Tuesday (13 June). Speaking about his on-again, off-again relationship with Ryan, Mellencamp shared that he wasn’t always the best partner to the When Harry Met Sally star.

“I love Meg Ryan. I went with her for ten years,” the rock star told Esquire. “She doesn’t love me so much. She’s a great girl. I’m just a s***ty boyfriend.”

John Mellencamp, 71, and Meg Ryan, 61, first began dating in 2011 after his split from model Elaine Irwin. The two were an item for three years, before calling it quits in 2014. At the time of their breakup, a source told People that “distance” had led to their split, though they rekindled their romance three years later.

The “Hurts So Good” singer explained how Ryan “had just come out of her shell” when they first started dating after their respective divorces. “We decided to do things on our own instead of having people do stuff for us,” he continued. “We were so f***ing lost. We didn’t know how to do anything.”

“I’ve never checked out of a hotel by myself,” Mellencamp added. He then recalled how the two were at a grocery store when they were both dumbfounded by the card reader in the check-out line. “Her and I went to a grocery store, and they wanted our credit card, and we looked at each other and said, ‘Here it is,’ and they said, ‘No, you’ve got to put it in this thing,’ and we went, ‘Then what happens?’”

“We laughed at how stupid we are, so hard we cried,” he quipped. “I think she’s learned how to do everything, and I’ve learned how to do nothing.”

Two months before Mellencamp and Ryan reunited in 2017, the Indiana native appeared on The Howard Stern Show where he declared that the Sleepless in Seattle star hated him “to death”.

“Oh, women hate me,” Mellencamp told Stern. “I loved Meg Ryan. She hates me to death.”

When asked why the You’ve Got Mail actor would despise him, Mellencamp explained: “I think it’s because I’m a child. I throw fits, I gripe, I complain. I’m moody. Every bad thing that a fella can be, that’s me.”

The pair went on to announce their engagement in 2018, only to split for good the following year. A source told People at the time that Mellencamp “didn’t want to get married again,” having been married three times before.

“He loves her, but marriage never seemed to be a part of it,” they said. “It’s unclear how important a marriage was to Meg. But they spent a lot of time together and it’s too bad they split. They really got along so well together.”

John Mellencamp has five children from his previous relationships. He became a father at 19 years old when his first wife, Priscilla Esterline, gave birth to their daughter Michelle Mellencamp. The couple divorced in 1981, and he went on to marry Victoria Granucci. The two welcomed daughters Teddi and Justice Mellencamp, before their divorce in 1989.

He also shares two sons, Hud and Speck Mellencamp, with his third wife Elaine Irwin. The former couple were married in 1992, but divorced in 2011 after nearly 20 years of marriage.

Meanwhile, Meg Ryan married fellow actor Dennis Quaid in 1991. They share one child together, The Boys star Jack Quaid. However, Ryan and Quaid divorced in July 2001. In January 2006, she adopted daughter Daisy True from China at 14 months old.