Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have long been considered one of Hollywood’s golden couples. They’re charming, successful, and effortlessly adorable together. With four kids and a love story straight out of a rom-com, they seem like #RelationshipGoals. But if you look a little closer, their picture-perfect romance has a few cracks—and some serious red flags.
In today’s video, we’re peeling back the glossy surface of their relationship to take a closer look at the moments that might not be as perfect as they seem.
But first—snack break! If you love bold flavors and next-level treats, head over to rrgsnacks.com. We’ve got Western barbecue bacon jerky, green apple licorice, butter toffee peanuts, and our best-selling gummy sour patch rings. Trust us, these snacks are so good, you won’t forget them. Fat, juicy, and wet—yeah, we said it!
Alright, back to Blake and Ryan.
The two met in 2010 while filming Green Lantern, but there’s a twist—they were both very much involved with other people at the time. Blake was dating Leonardo DiCaprio, while Ryan was still married to Avengers star Scarlett Johansson.
Here’s where things get messy:
Green Lantern started filming in March 2010.
By December 2010, Ryan and Scarlett announced their split after two years of marriage.
Just a few weeks later, Ryan officially filed for divorce.
By summer 2011, the divorce was finalized.
In October 2011, Blake and Leo broke up.
And just weeks later, she was spotted celebrating Ryan’s birthday in Boston.
That timeline had people side-eyeing their relationship from the start. While Ryan insists nothing shady happened, the overlap is hard to ignore. So, was it really just perfect timing? Or was there more to the story?
Let’s get into it.
So, get this—before Ryan and Scarlett even announced their split, a waitress told the Daily Mail that she had already spotted Ryan and Blake out on a date. And you know people wasted no time labeling Blake a homewrecker.
When they did get engaged, they kept it real low-key. Same with their 2012 wedding. Apparently, guests had to sign NDAs, and all phones were confiscated. Whew, they were doing the most!
But even with all that secrecy, some details still leaked. And oh boy, when people found out where they got married? Chaos. Turns out, they tied the knot at Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens in South Carolina.
A plantation.
Excuse me? A PLANTATION?!
Yes, Auntie Regina, you heard that right. Not only did they say “I do” at a former plantation with a history of slavery, but Boone Hall is also the same place where The Notebook was filmed. You know, the movie starring Blake’s ex, Ryan Gosling. You cannot make this stuff up.
Years later, Blake and Ryan admitted the whole thing was a “giant mistake.”
Oh, you don’t say!
In 2020, amid the Black Lives Matter movement, Blake posted on Instagram, saying, “We’re ashamed that in the past, we’ve allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is.”
Girl, stop. Nobody had to explain to you why getting married on a plantation was a bad look. You knew.
And to the folks still defending them—go ahead and grab a seat. Let’s talk history.
By the early 20th century, when plantation agriculture wasn’t making money anymore, many former slave plantations were repackaged as museums and wedding venues. The goal? To rewrite history, downplaying the horrors of slavery and romanticizing plantation life. An NBC News writer put it best: “At best, slave plantation weddings use romantic love to romanticize America’s racist history.”
Boom.
And let’s not pretend people have moved on. In 2018, Ryan hopped on Twitter praising Black Panther, and whew, Black Twitter ate him up. The irony of celebrating a movie centered on African culture when you got married on a literal plantation? Yeah, they weren’t letting that one slide.
Back in 2017, Blake Lively made a surprising revelation in an interview with Glamour magazine, admitting she loves her husband “most of the time.” While she wasn’t trying to create a fairytale image, the comment sparked a lot of chatter about their relationship. She also shared that many of her husband’s viral tweets about their family life were actually fictionalized, hinting that their public image is more performance than reality. “When he says ‘my daughter,’ he’s never actually talking about her. It’s all made up,” she explained. “He’ll run these ideas by me just to make me laugh.”
So, what’s really going on behind the scenes?
This insight into their private lives has left fans wondering whether their picture-perfect relationship is as genuine as it seems, or if it’s just a carefully crafted facade.
One of the most intriguing things about their relationship is their commitment to being together, no matter the circumstances. Ryan once shared with People magazine that they refuse to film movies at the same time. “Blake and I don’t do movies at the same time,” he said. “If she’s filming in Thailand and I’m in Vancouver, we just wouldn’t see each other. We operate as a unit, and that works really well for us.”
Blake also opened up to Vogue, revealing that Ryan helps her with her character work, and she does the same for him. “He’s a beautiful writer. He’s written a lot of things for us, and he has a great barometer. He knows me, so he’ll tell me if it’s not as good as it can be,” she said.
While their constant closeness might seem enviable, experts warn that being together too much can sometimes strain a relationship. Psychologists suggest that a lack of independence can create tension.
Celebrity relationship expert Nicole Moore told Women.com: “It becomes a red flag when one partner doesn’t trust their creative vision enough without their partner’s input. Ding, ding!”
Despite their curated social media presence, many believe there are hidden cracks in their seemingly perfect bond.
Blake also shared with Glamour that, unlike in past relationships where she would turn to her friends or sister for advice, she now goes to Ryan. “With Ryan, we were friends for two years before we started dating, and I treat him like my girlfriend,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Hey, this happened, it upset me, this is how I feel—what do I do?’ And he does the same for me. He treats me like his best buddy.”
Could this be a lavender marriage? It certainly has that vibe.
While being friends with your partner is often considered the foundation of a healthy marriage, it’s important to remember that a romantic relationship should function a bit differently than a friendship. As a writer for YourTango wisely put it, “Your spouse and your marriage are not
Blake and Ryan’s marriage might look like a Hollywood dream, but there are some serious red flags, especially when it comes to how much they get involved in each other’s careers. While their close collaboration has earned praise for showing their strong partnership, it’s also caused a fair share of tension and drama.
Take the production of It Ends with Us, for example. Blake’s creative influence reportedly caused friction with director and co-star Justin Baldoni. Ryan didn’t stay in the background either—he even wrote a crucial scene and had a say in key creative decisions, making it hard to tell where their personal lives end and their work begins.
Things got even messier when Justin accused Blake of using her friendship with Taylor Swift to pressure him into making script changes. In response, Blake is now suing Justin, along with other producers and publicists, claiming they launched a smear campaign against her after she spoke up about sexual harassment on set.
But it doesn’t stop there. Justin is also suing Blake and Ryan for $400 million, accusing them of trying to hijack the film and ruin his reputation with false harassment claims.
Experts say that Blake and Ryan’s seemingly codependent relationship might be a problem if either one struggles to establish their independence.
While their marriage might seem perfect from the outside, it’s clear that even the most glamorous couples face challenges. Their journey together shows that beneath the fairy tale image, there are power struggles, difficult decisions, and a tricky balance between love and personal freedom.