John Mellencamp Says He Was a 'S---ty Boyfriend' to Meg Ryan

While speaking with Esquire, the 71-year-old singer opened up about things he "learned" over the years, and brought up his on-again-off-again 10-year relationship with Ryan, admitting that he wasn't the best boyfriend when they were together.

"I love Meg Ryan. I went with her for 10 years. She doesn't love me so much," Mellencamp said. "She's a great girl. I'm just a s----- boyfriend."

The "Hurts So Good" singer said he and Ryan had both "just come out of [their] shell[s]" when their romance began.

"We decided to do things on our own instead of having people do stuff for us," Mellencamp told Esquire. "We were so f------ lost. We didn't know how to do anything."

"I’ve never checked out of a hotel by myself," he added. "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 concluded, "I think she's learned how to do everything, and I've learned how to do nothing."

Mellencamp and Ryan, 61, dated for the first time for three years back in 2011. After splitting in 2014, the couple got back together in 2017 and even got engaged. The pair unfortunately called it quits for a second time in 2019.

Ahead of his reconciliation with Ryan, Mellencamp spoke about his relationship with the actress during an appearance on SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show" in 2017, claiming Ryan didn't "want anything to do with [him]" at the time.

"Oh, women hate me," Mellencamp said. "I loved Meg Ryan. She hates me to death."

"I think it’s because I’m a child," he added. "I throw fits, I gripe, I complain. I’m moody. Every bad thing that a fella can be, that's me."