Real-Life Celebrity Breakup: Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp

Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp. America’s Sweetheart and the vocalist who brought music lovers R.O.C.K. in the USA and Jack and Diane – they seemed like such a perfect pair. And they were. For a few years. Then came the breakup, the estrangement, the makeup, the engagement and now… another breakup. File this one under the heading, “It’s complicated.”

Something Amiss With Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp

No one would have been any the wiser had it not been for the conspicuously missing ring that once occupied real-estate on the third finger of Ryan’s left hand.

Within moments of having caught her sans bauble, the glossy gossip magazines began to speculate, the rumors swirled, and Us Weekly exclusively revealed that Ryan and Mellencamp’s 13-month engagement had been called off.

An insider, supposedly close to Ryan, told representatives from E! News that, “Meg ended it. It got exhausting for her to deal with. There were too many ups and downs and it wasn’t healthy…She cares about John but it was time for her to move on.”

To the multitude of fans who had been following the couple’s progress for nigh on 10 years, the news was a major blow. But, truth be told, it wasn’t the first time and, if history is anything to judge by, it probably won’t be the last.

Early Days
This complicated roundabout began way back in November of 2010, a fact revealed to People Magazine who posted an article revealing that the two had been quietly dating ever since Mellencamp had separated from his third wife, model Elaine Irwin, after 18 years.

The nascent couple guarded their privacy fiercely and their reluctance to discuss and flaunt their relationship only spurred the press on to cover anything and everything concerning them – and nothing was sacred.

End of Chapter One

Cut to August of 2014. It has been three and a half years since love first blossomed for Ryan and Mellencamp. But according to a source speaking out in an exclusive Closer Weekly article, the love birds had, “split a couple of weeks ago.”

As for the cause of the split? According to the same source, purportedly a friend of Mellencamp’s, it was the singer’s distaste for the spotlight. “I don’t think he loved all the attention he got just from dating an actress.”

But another explanation blamed the lack of proximity between the two. After all, Ryan lives in New York while he resides in Indiana. Long-distance relationships aren’t easy in the best of circumstances.

Reunited And It Feels So Good
But, apparently, absence really does make the heart grow fonder. By late July of 2017, the intrepid duo was reportedly together again and had been for a few months.

News of the reunion no doubt shocked a great many people but perhaps no one more than Mellencamp himself, especially since he had revealed to shock jock Howard Stern that Ryan, “hates me to death…She just doesn’t want anything to do with me…” in March of that same year.

One year later, November 8, 2018, to be exact, Ryan stunned her fans by taking to Instagram and sharing a snapshot taken of a drawing depicting her and Mellencamp with the simple caption ENGAGED! typed underneath.

Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp Part Ways

Despite being thrilled by the engagement for a while in 2019, October wasn’t the only thing that came to an end. The engagement — and the couple’s relationship — was over too. Will they end up reuniting once again? Stay tuned.