Meg Ryan defends son Jack Quaid from ‘nepo baby’ criticism

Meg Ryan has snapped back at anybody who’s called her actor son, Jack Quaid, a “nepo baby.”

In an interview with Glamour, the 62-year-old “When Harry Met Sally” star said of working under the piercing public eye, “You don’t wish it [on anyone]. It’s too hard and it’s too weird.”

“Jack is really talented,” she added. “He’s more of a natural than I’ll ever be. That nepo stuff is so dismissive of his work ethic, his gifts and how sensitive he is to the idea of his privilege.”

Quaid, 31, was one of many celebrity children who were called out last year in a New York magazine story with the headline “She Has Her Mother’s Eyes. And Agent,” which explored the phenomenon of the spawn of famous people going into showbiz themselves. 

Driving the point home, the actor was pictured on the glossy’s cover with his adult head superimposed on an infant’s body.

The son of Ryan (who directed and stars in the new rom-com “What Happens Later”) and Dennis Quaid has already enjoyed an extensive acting career, having starred on Amazon’s superhero series “The Boys” and in last year’s reboot of “Scream,” with small roles in “Oppenheimer” and many other projects.

Ryan also said Quaid’s flair for performance was obvious from a young age.

“I remember seeing him in a middle school production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ He was playing Bottom. I was newly divorced from his dad, and he was seated at the other side of the gym. I had my head in my hands and was like, ‘Oh, no. He’s good. He’s really good,’” she told Glamour. 

“I leaned forward, and I see Dennis, and he’s also leaning forward with his head in his hands. I just knew.”

Ryan and Dennis Quaid (“The Right Stuff”) divorced in 2001.

Several months after the New York magazine story set social media ablaze, Jack Quaid addressed his unusual upbringing.

“I think in the beginning, I was like, ‘Oh, do people like me? Do they think that I’m just riding my parents’ coattails?’ and all this stuff,” he told Thrillist. 

“Then lately, I’ve been making an effort to focus on that less and just really trying to embrace this.”