'Jack Ryan' co-creator surprised by parallels between series and Venezuela strikes

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'Jack Ryan' co-creator surprised by parallels between series and Venezuela strikes

The Amazon series featured a plotline involving a corrupt Venezuelan leader in 2019

Lindsay Kornick Fox News

Published

January 4, 2026 7:55pm EST

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Carlton Cruse, co-creator of Amazon's "Jack Ryan" series, remarked about the surprising parallels between his show and the recent U.S. strikes against Venezuela.

Clips from season two of the series began trending on social media over the weekend, featuring protagonist Jack Ryan, played by John Krasinski, explaining Venezuela's political turmoil.

"The fact is that Venezuela is arguably the single greatest resource of oil and minerals on the planet," Ryan said. "So why is this country in the midst of one of the greatest humanitarian crises in modern history?"

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John Krasinski promoting "Jack Ryan" series

Clips of Amazon's "Jack Ryan" series starring John Krasinski trended over the weekend after strikes against Venezuela. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

He went on to explain that the political ruin came from the country's fictional leader Nicholas Reyes, whom Ryan described as having "crippled the national economy by half" and "raised the poverty rate by almost 400%."

Despite the clip airing in 2019, Cruse recognized perceived connections between the nearly seven-year-old episode and the real world.

"What always surprises you as a storyteller is how often real-world events catch up to fiction," Cruse told Deadline Sunday. "The goal of that season wasn’t prophecy — it was plausibility. When you ground a story in real geopolitical dynamics, reality has a way of making it rhyme."

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The U.S. conducted military strikes against Venezuela over the weekend. (Abdul Saboor/Reuters)

Cruse added that the series always sought to make the international scenarios "credible" and based its plot on the ongoing tensions affecting Venezuela at the time.

"[Co-creator] Graham Roland and I weren’t making a statement — we were telling a fictional character-driven thriller rooted in Venezuela’s long-standing strategic relevance," Cruse said. "Our job was to make the situation feel credible. We approached Venezuela as a country where democratic ideals, economic reality and geopolitical interests have been in tension for a long time — and where choices are never simple."

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On Saturday, President Donald Trump confirmed U.S. military strikes against Venezuela, taking Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife into custody.

Venezuelan leader raises a hand while walking with his spouse.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into U.S. custody. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

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Though the second season of "Jack Ryan" featured the Venezuelan president being removed from power after U.S. forces travel to the Presidential Palace, the series saw the Venezuelan leader being ousted after losing the election.

Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.

'Jack Ryan' co-creator surprised by parallels between series and Venezuela strikes