Dennis Quaid isn’t suffering from insomnia over the end of his marriage to Meg Ryan.
The 70-year-old recently opened up about his 10-year relationship with the “When Harry Met Sally” actress, 62, whom he married in 1991.
During his appearance on Friday’s episode of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” On the Max show, the 76-year-old journalist asked Quaid how the former couple’s combined fame was putting a strain on their relationship.
“What about this? When I met Meg, I was there for my career and she was there, and then it just happened,” Quaid replied, indicating with his hands that Ryan’s level of fame had far surpassed his own while they were together.
“I tried to be a big person and tell myself that it didn’t bother me, but people are human,” the star continued. “She progressed while I was in rehab and Meg is such a wonderful, lovely, talented person and she deserved all of her success.”
Quaid didn’t want to change their love story, which gave birth to their 32-year-old son Jack.
“But I don’t regret anything about my marriage to Meg, and we had Jack Quaid who may eclipse both of us,” he added.
Meg and Quaid’s son has continued to land major roles in recent years, including becoming a series regular on “The Boys” and having a supporting role in the hit film “Oppenheimer.”
This isn’t the first time Quaid has spoken about Ryan’s rise to fame during their marriage. He previously admitted that at times he felt a bit overshadowed by the former “Sleepless in Seattle” actor.
“When we met, I was the star,” Quaid recalled during a 2018 appearance on “Megyn Kelly Today.” “We’d go out on the streets of New York and be like, ‘Meg! Meg!’ And I have to admit, I felt like I was disappearing. I didn’t think I was that small, but I was. It was an opportunity for growth — I learned from it.”
The “The Four of Us” actor said that despite the pressures, his marriage to Ryan was “the most successful relationship of my life.”
The former couple was considered one of Hollywood’s most powerful couples for years before splitting due to alleged infidelity on both sides. At the time of their split, Ryan was spotted getting cozy with her “Proof of Life” co-star Russell Crowe.
But the starlet insisted Crowe, 60, was not responsible for the end of their “very unhealthy marriage” during an appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2006.
“I think once the tabloids get their hands on three celebrity names, you’re really in trouble… I didn’t leave my marriage for Russell Crowe,” she added. “I left my marriage.”
In an interview with InStyle a few years later, the romantic comedy queen opened up about Quaid’s infidelity.
“It was a beautiful story. But what wasn’t in the story was the reality of my marriage for nine years,” Ryan told the outlet, according to Honey. “Dennis wasn’t faithful to me for a long time, and it was very painful. I learned more about that once I got divorced.”
Quaid was previously married to PJ Soles from 1978 to 1983. He then married Kimberly Buffington from 2004 to 2018. He is currently married to Laura Savoie, whom he married in 2020.
Meanwhile, Ryan was in an on-off relationship with singer John Mellencamp until she broke off their engagement for good in 2019.
In 2023, the actress, who is also mother to daughter Daisy, 20, whom she adopted in 2006, admitted that dating hasn’t gotten any easier with age.
“It’s still ridiculous,” Ryan told Glamour in 2023. “I don’t think anyone ever gets good at it. Maybe people do. I don’t either.”
Recalling her worst date, the icon recalled: “I had a date in college where he took me on a motorcycle ride through northern Connecticut and Massachusetts. It was great. We ended up having dinner, and when we got back to my room, I was like, ‘I had a great time, Phil.’ And his name was something like Bob. I never heard from him again. I was wrong, but it was fun.”
New York Post
