"I don’t think she was trying to say that I’m not a privileged person” — Jack Quaid responds after mom Meg Ryan defends him against ‘nepo baby’ label

The Boys star Jack Quaid responded to his mother and When Harry Met Sally star Meg Ryan defending him against allegations of being a 'nepo baby'. In an interview with The Daily Beast published on Wednesday, July 10, the actor reacted to his mom's comments regarding the 'nepo baby' allegations undermining Jack's work ethic and gifts. The actor told The Daily Beast:

"I don’t think she was trying to say that I’m not a privileged person,"

Quaid conceded that he was in fact "immensely privileged" and agreed with Meg that he had worked hard to get into the industry. Quaid was referring to Meg Ryan's comments on her interview with Glamour magazine published on November 30, 2023.

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"She’s being a loving mom": Jack Quaid on Meg Ryan defending him from the 'nepo baby' allegations

Back in November of last year, Glamour magazine did a cover story on You've Got Mail actress Meg Ryan titled "Getting Cozy With Meg Ryan". During the interview, Ryan opened up about the rejections and public scrutiny her son Jack Quaid has faced due to a career in the public eye. This was something that the veteran actress herself has dealt with. She told the publication:

"You don’t wish it [on anyone]. It’s too hard and it’s too weird,"

She added:

"Jack is really talented. 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."

On July 10, The Daily Beast published an interview with Jack Quaid where the actor discussed the fourth season of The Boys among other things. During the interview, Quaid was asked about his mother's comments in the aforementioned Glamour magazine profile. The actor replied:

"Yeah, I saw that too. My first thought was like, she’s being a mom. She’s being a loving mom. But I don’t think she's trying to say that I’m not a nepo baby. I think she's just trying to say that, in her opinion, it undermines my talent."

Jack Quaid disagreed with Ryan and noted that he did not think the allegations undermined his talent. Quaid knew that he worked hard and had heard "no" a lot more times than he's heard "yes". At the same time, Quaid also knew that the industry was "insanely hard: to break into and that he's had an easier time doing so than most. He conceded that both of those things could be simultaneously true.

As mentioned earlier, the actor noted that Ryan was just being a mom. Elsewhere in the interview, while talking about his mother being the "undisputed queen of rom-coms", the actor revealed that it was his conscious decision to not do many rom-coms as he felt he had to do something different than what she's done.

When asked if he was worried about people calling attention to it if he did indeed do projects like his mother, Jack Quaid replied:

"No matter what I do, people are going to call attention to it. People have called me a “nepo baby.” I’m inclined to agree. I am an immensely privileged person, was able to get representation pretty early on, and that’s more than half the battle."

Quaid talked about knowing that the door was open for him in many ways unlike other actors and noted that he's tried to work just as hard to prove that he was worthy enough to walk through that door.

It is worth noting that Jack Quaid does not just have one Hollywood parent but two. Quaid is the son of Meg Ryan and veteran actor Dennis Quaid of The Parent Trap and Jaws 3-D fame. Dennis and Meg were married from 1991 to 2001. Their son Jack Quaid is now the star of the hit show, The Boys, the fourth season of which is currently streaming on Prime Video.