Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have always seemed like the perfect couple, with their public displays of affection and support for each other’s careers. But recent revelations suggest their romance might have started on shaky ground. It turns out that Blake and Ryan began their relationship while Ryan was still married to Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett has shared her feelings, saying, “I walked out of that room and felt like I wanted to throw up. I just felt so awful.” This new information has brought old controversies back into the spotlight, reminding fans of the drama involving Scarlett Johansson and how Blake and Ryan’s relationship began.
Scarlett has claimed that Blake seduced Ryan while fully aware of their past together on the set of Green Lantern. With Blake Lively back in the media’s focus, her complex dating history is being revisited.
On top of that, Blake has been in the news not only for her role in It Ends With Us but also because of some controversial moments during the film’s promotion. She’s caught up in a messy feud with Justin Baldoni, which has only gotten worse with Baldoni’s PR crisis team making things more difficult for her. Plus, there was that cringe-worthy moment where Blake awkwardly commented on a reporter’s pregnancy bump, saying, “First of all, congrats on your little bump. Congrats on your little bump. It made me want to quit my job. I felt really horrible afterwards.”
Journalist Kirsty Flaw was caught off guard during a 2016 interview for the Woody Allen film Cafe Society when Blake Lively and Parker Posey seemed to completely ignore her. Instead of engaging with Flaw, the actresses were engrossed in their own conversation, acting as if Flaw wasn’t even in the room. For a full minute, they chatted among themselves before Flaw could ask another question. You could see how uncomfortable she was. “I walked out of that room and felt like I wanted to throw up. I just felt so awful,” Flaw later confessed. Given the film’s serious themes, Lively’s apparent lack of understanding and dismissive attitude was particularly striking.
Amid these controversies, it’s worth noting that Blake Lively’s personal life, especially her dating history, often grabs media attention. Her relationships have frequently been in the spotlight, which seems to fit with her public image. For instance, before she became famous as Serena on Gossip Girl in 2007, she was in a relationship with Kelly Blatz. They even appeared together in the 2006 slasher film Simon Says. Blake has mentioned that Kelly was her first boyfriend when she was 17, pointing to her long presence in the public eye.
To give you some background, Blake Lively hails from a family deeply rooted in the entertainment industry. Her father, Ernie Lively, was an actor and director, and her mother, Elaine, worked as a talent scout. Her siblings, including her sister Robin Lively, are also actors. Blake’s upbringing is somewhat similar to Drew Barrymore’s, although it seems Blake had a more straightforward path into the industry compared to Barrymore’s more challenging start.
Blake Lively and Kelly go way back—they were childhood friends and went to Burbank High School together. Kelly actually had a crush on Blake back then, and they dated for three years until Kelly’s career took off. This brings us to Penn Badgley, whom I completely forgot Blake had been with. Blake and Penn, who met on Gossip Girl, had a relationship that was kept under wraps at first. In December 2007, they were spotted out holiday shopping, which sparked rumors. Their relationship was kept secret because a mutual friend spilled the beans, and they were worried that the Gossip Girl producers might not be happy about it. Usually, though, producers love to stir the pot and use these relationships to get people talking.
Blake later admitted, “We were worried about how our personal lives overlapping with our work might be seen by our bosses.” But they eventually realized that their relationship was actually good for the show. Sometimes, it seems like producers and executives orchestrate these relationships just to boost interest, like with Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron making High School Musical seem more real.
Blake and Penn confirmed their relationship in 2008, but it only lasted two years before they broke up in 2010. The Gossip Girl crew had no idea about their breakup until later, which surprised everyone since they seemed to get along well.
After Penn, Blake was linked to Leonardo DiCaprio. They were first spotted together in May 2011, enjoying a yacht vacation and strolling through the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes. They were introduced by a director named Baz, and their romance blossomed from a business dinner. But like many Hollywood relationships, this one was short-lived and ended by October 2011. Blake even visited Leonardo in Australia while he was filming The Great Gatsby, but their relationship didn’t last.
Before Leonardo, Blake met Ryan Reynolds while filming Green Lantern in 2010. They didn’t date at that time—Blake was with Penn and Ryan was married to Scarlett Johansson.
Let’s dig into this juicy bit of gossip. There’s a rumor going around that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds had an affair while filming Green Lantern. According to a now-deleted tweet by journalist Kat Marau, Blake and Ryan were reportedly involved with each other while she was dating Penn Badgley and Ryan was married to Scarlett Johansson. The film was shot between March and August 2010 in Louisiana, and by October 27, 2010, Blake and Penn had split up. They seem to have handled their breakup with maturity and remained friends, which is nice to see. Ryan and Scarlett, on the other hand, separated by December 14, 2010, with their statement acknowledging their decision to end their marriage while asking for privacy.
Marau claimed that a beauty editor had informed her about the affair, and Us Magazine was about to publish the story until Ryan and Blake’s teams stepped in, leading to the tweet being deleted—probably because their lawyers got involved.
There were whispers about cheating, and the National Enquirer suggested Scarlett felt deeply hurt, almost as if Blake had stolen Ryan away from her. Scarlett’s feelings of betrayal make sense given that things started falling apart for her around the time Ryan and Blake were working closely together. If I were dating an actor, I’d probably be on set with them 24/7—no late dinners with co-stars for me. It’s easy to see how actors might develop feelings for each other when they spend so much time together in intense roles. Even though Green Lantern isn’t a romance, just being around each other so much can create a connection. But hey, it’s good to know Scarlett has moved on.
There are rumors that Scarlett felt Blake was trying to seduce Ryan, even knowing he was married. Looking back at their timeline, some people feel uneasy about how things unfolded. It seems that Blake’s actions towards Scarlett were less than respectful, and many think she dodged a bullet. One person even mentioned, “I remember being at the Green Lantern panel at WonderCon and noticing Blake and Ryan’s flirty interactions. Then, when I heard Blake was divorcing Scarlett a few months later, it all made sense.” I’ve got a clip from that panel, so let’s take a look.
During the panel, someone said, “Why are you disappointing everyone? Say something funny.” Blake replied, “That’s tough. It’s hard to answer as a TV show should.” The exchange had a flirty vibe, which seemed clear to the audience.
Even with the cheating rumors, Blake and Ryan have denied anything inappropriate, saying they were just friends. In fall 2011, they went on a double date—Blake with one of Ryan’s friends and Ryan with another woman. According to Ryan, the date was awkward because there was obvious chemistry between them. He described it like this: “After Green Lantern, when we were both single, we went on a double date. She was with another guy, and I was with another girl. The date was awkward because of the chemistry between us. It went well for him, but not so much for me. I didn’t mean to sound negative; it’s just that kind of humor.”
Ryan also mentioned that they were friends for a long time and tried to set each other up with people. It took about a year and a half for them to realize they could date. But honestly, this story feels a bit hard to believe—two busy actors constantly texting about dating? It seems more like a PR story.
There’s no solid proof or witnesses for this, and it does sound like a crafted PR narrative. Scarlett’s reaction seemed to downplay the situation, making it feel even more like a setup.
By 2012, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were married in a small, private ceremony. When Ryan first saw Blake, his face broke into a huge, genuine smile that lit up his eyes, and they just looked at each other with so much love. The candlelight made the moment feel like it was straight out of a romance movie. But the venue they chose for their wedding has stirred up quite a bit of controversy.
The couple got married at Boon Hall in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. This location, once a plantation that relied on slave labor, has been criticized for its history. The site features nine preserved slave cabins known as Slave Street, which makes the choice of venue feel deeply inappropriate and offensive to many people.
Ryan Reynolds has since called their choice of Boon Hall a “giant effing mistake.” In a recent interview with Fast Company, he admitted that they didn’t fully understand the implications of their choice at the time and expressed regret over the decision. He said, “We’re sorry for this, and it’s impossible to reconcile it.” Ryan reflected on how hard it is to challenge and change ingrained social biases and acknowledged that making mistakes is part of the journey.
It’s a tough situation that reminds me of another celebrity mishap where a couple played video clips of people from Skid Row wishing them well. If you remember who that was, let me know in the comments. It seems like these kinds of misjudgments can happen to anyone, no matter how well-intentioned they might be.
In December 2014, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds welcomed their first daughter, James. Their second child arrived in 2016, and by 2019, they had their third child, Betty. For a while, Betty’s name was a secret until it was revealed on Taylor Swift’s album Folklore—how cool is that for a baby name reveal? Ryan seems to really enjoy being a dad. He’s talked about how much he loves being a “girl dad” and tries to be as present as he can. Since both he and Blake are busy with their movie careers and travel a lot, they bring the whole family along, turning work trips into family adventures. Imagine filming in cool places and having your loved ones with you!
In February 2023, their fourth child arrived. They kept the name under wraps for a bit but later revealed it on stage at a premiere. The new baby is named Anen, adding to their collection of unique names. Besides James and Betty, it looks like their other child is named Ins. Ryan gave a shout-out to his kids—James, Ins, Betty, and Anen—during the reveal.
With Blake going through some tough times recently, Ryan has been by her side. Their lives are so intertwined, especially since they’ve worked together on projects like Green Lantern, where they probably started their romance. Some think they kept their relationship quiet until they realized they were really into each other.
I’d love to hear what you think about all this in the comments. And before we wrap up, I want to open a letter I just found in my PO Box. I moved recently, so I’m sorry it’s taken me a while to get to it. Let’s see what’s inside!
It’s a sweet letter with some April-themed stickers. It’s from Michael Sloan Hooks, who reached out with kind words about some personal stuff I’ve shared online. The letter is really touching, and while some parts are private, I’m grateful for the support.
The letter also includes stickers from Roxan in Montreal. I love the ocean-themed designs—such a nice touch. Roxan mentioned she’s 28 and the letter made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
I’m thinking about traveling for my December birthday. Any suggestions on where to go with nice weather in December? Maybe Australia?
Thank you so much for the thoughtful letter, Roxan. I can’t wait to share more with you all in the next video. See you soon!