Meet Meg Ryan's Kids, Daisy True Ryan And Jack Quaid

Jack Quaid, born on April 24, 1992, in Los Angeles, is making a name for himself in Hollywood, but his journey is colored by a unique childhood. As the son of renowned actors Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, Jack's upbringing was far from conventional. As he told the "Allegedly With Theo Von & Matthew Cole Weiss" podcast (via People), "I acknowledge fully the way that I grew up was not normal." However, that was all he knew. "[I]t was normal in the sense that despite what my parents do, they are still a mom and a dad. It's not like they are their characters at the dinner table or anything like that," he said.

Growing up amid the entertainment industry, Jack's exposure to the world of filmmaking began early. Accompanying his parents to on-location shoots, the "Hunger Games" 

actor recalled having little patience while at work with his parents, telling People, "A kid can't handle how slow a set moves, so I would watch a couple of takes and then go to the craft service truck and try to steal all the candy I could!"

Jack's parents were married for a decade before parting ways in 2001, finalizing their divorce when Jack was 9. Of the experience, Jack told "Allegedly" (via People), "It's hard to ignore when you're at a grocery store and you're checking out and you look at [magazines], and there's a photo of them with a little paper rip graphic between them."

Jack Quaid knew that he wanted to perform from a very early age, telling Women's Wear Daily, "I always had the performing bug. I would do magic shows for family growing up." Immersed in a household where creativity flowed, Jack's early fascination with the performing arts became apparent. Dennis Quaid reminisced about Jack's childhood, noting that his son had a natural proclivity for expressing himself, telling "The Kelly Clarkson Show," "He had a video camera in his hand when he was like 4 years old, making little videos and stuff." The acting bug, as Dennis described it, caught hold of Jack at an incredibly young age. "Ever since he was a kid, it was kinda obvious that he was gonna do that," Dennis said of his son's burgeoning career.

Meg Ryan, witnessing her son's talent onstage during the middle school production, sensed that Jack had a genuine gift for acting. Talking about the experience, the "You've Got Mail" actress told Glamour, "I was newly divorced from his dad, and he was seated at the other side of the gym," while their son performed the role of Bottom in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Describing her thoughts at the time, Ryan said, "[I] was like, 'Oh, no. He's good. He's really good.' I leaned forward, and I see Dennis, and he's also leaning forward with his head in his hands. I just knew."

Meg Ryan emphatically rejects the notion that her son, Jack Quaid, has found success in the film industry solely due to nepotism. The acclaimed actor emphasized Jack's talent and work ethic as the driving forces behind his accomplishments, telling People, "He's just in it for all the right reasons. He's somebody who just loves what he does." According to Ryan, Jack is genuinely passionate about his craft, working diligently to carve out a career in the competitive world of entertainment. "I am just so proud of how sensible he is, how ethical he is, how fun he is — and I just knew early on he was somebody I would have to share. He's just fantastic," she told People. 

Quaid, meanwhile, expresses gratitude for how supportive his parents are but emphasizes that Hollywood is very different today. He told People, "The way that this business works is so much different than the way that it worked back then for them. I'm experiencing some things for the first time, like working on a movie set during COVID."

Ryan dismissed the term nepo baby, which is often used pejoratively to describe individuals in Hollywood with famous family connections, in an interview with Glamour. "Jack is really talented," she said. "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."

Even though Jack Quaid is in the same line of work as his parents, Meg Ryan says that her son is very different from both herself and his father. Her daughter, Daisy True Ryan, is also adamantly her own person, according to Meg, who told People, "[E]ach of them are so different." Meg's children had significantly different upbringings; Jack was also raised by his father, Dennis Quaid, whereas Daisy True's singular parent is her mother. The actor and mother is obviously very proud of her children because she made sure to add that both Jack and Daisy True "are hilarious, they're smart, they are kind, they're interested in other people, they're curious about the world."

Meg has also noted that even though Jack is her biological child and Daisy True is adopted, that doesn't mean that her son is any more like his parents than Daisy True is. "He's his own guy, and that's how kids come, no matter how you get them," she told Redbook (via People). "It's just as much of a lottery with your own biological children as it is with an adopted child half the world away." Meg's love for children is clearly palpable in interviews, such as when she told People, "I feel like both of them make the world a little better, and I just feel so proud of them."

Meg Ryan embarked on the remarkable journey of motherhood when she adopted her daughter Daisy True Ryan in 2006, a decision she made as a single parent after her divorce from Dennis Quaid five years earlier. Raising Daisy True as a single mom, Meg became a pivotal figure in her daughter's life. During a Q&A session for In Goop Health (via E!), Ryan shared the unique dynamics of being the sole parent for her daughter, stating, "I know I'm really her reference, for better and worse, and I'm glad she has other influences." Meg also noted the benefits of being a single parent, saying, "One thing that is nice is you don't get overruled."

Recalling the moment of adoption, Meg vividly described the initial meeting with Daisy True, highlighting the profound connection they felt. The actor told the Los Angeles Times, "She had tons and tons of clothes on her, Teletubby long underwear, another layer, then this electric blue sweater. She was red-faced, screaming and crying." Meg Ryan recalled the magical moment when she held her daughter for the first time, saying, "Daisy stopped crying. I'm not kidding you. She checked me out and then she went to sleep." Meg emphasized that the adoption wasn't about rescuing Daisy but recognizing an innate connection, something she described as magic, telling Glamour, "I'm convinced of magic because of our relationship. We were destined."

Meg Ryan's strict parenting methods have played a significant role in shaping her daughter, Daisy True Ryan. For example, Meg talked to People about how her daughter "didn't have a phone until she was 15." Meg credits decisions like these her daughter's very varied and intellectual interests. "She really is somebody who has a lot of different interests," the actor told People, "she's a great reader and she, at least, has a memory of the phone not being everything." Perhaps it was this very parenting choice that gave Daisy True the broad experiences and discipline that led to her acceptance to Smith College, the prestigious Seven Sisters institution that Daisy True currently attends.

Just because she was strict, however, does not mean that Meg Ryan was not there for her children when they needed her. In fact, the desire to commit herself to raising her children is why Meg stepped away from acting for over a decade. "I have the most tremendous kids, and I really have great friends, and I have a great life," the actor and director told "Access Hollywood," "I've been doing this for a really long time, and I felt like there were some gaps in my experience I wanted to fill in and that's what I have been doing." Clearly, Meg did many things right because her children always speak of their mother with the utmost respect.