Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s Relationship Timeline
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively first met on the set of ‘Green Lantern’ in 2010 and have four children together
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have a swoon-worthy romance.
The couple first met on the set of Green Lantern in 2010 but didn’t develop a romantic relationship until a year later.
“We were buddies for a long time, which I think is the best way to have a relationship, to start as friends,” Reynolds told Jess Cagle on SiriusXM’s Entertainment Weekly Radio Deadpool special in 2016.
In fact, sparks didn’t start flying until they went on a double date … with other people.
“About a year after Green Lantern had come and gone and we were both single, we went on a double date — she was on a date with another guy, and I was on a date with another girl — and it was like the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across,” Reynolds said.
Since then, they have shared numerous sweet moments together — on the red carpet and on social media — and have welcomed four children James, Inez, Betty and Olin.
From stylish red carpet appearances to sweet tributes, here’s everything to know about Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s relationship timeline.
2010: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds meet on the set of Green Lantern
Reynolds and Lively first met in 2010 when they filmed the movie adaptation of Green Lantern. Reynolds played the titular DC Comics superhero character, while Lively played his love interest, Carol Ferris.
At the time, they were both seeing other people. Lively was dating her Gossip Girl costar https://people.com/tag/penn-badgley/, and Reynolds was married to actress Scarlett Johansson.
In October 2010, it was announced that Lively had split from Badgley, whom she had dated on and off from 2007 to 2010.
Reynolds and Johansson announced their divorce after two years of marriage in December 2010.
“After long and careful consideration on both our parts, we’ve decided to end our marriage,” they said in a joint statement at the time. “We entered our relationship with love, and it’s with love and kindness we leave it. While privacy isn’t expected, it’s certainly appreciated.”
Their divorce was finalized in July 2011.
June 15, 2011: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend the Green Lantern premiere together
In June 2011, Reynolds and Lively hit the red carpet for Green Lantern together as costars — but did we detect some chemistry there?
October 2011: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds spark dating rumors
In October 2011, Lively and Reynolds sparked dating rumors when they were spotted outside an apartment in Boston, where Reynolds was filming the action film R.I.P.D.
A source confirmed their relationship to PEOPLE, saying, “They are very much a couple. They’re really happy together.”
A few months later, the two were spotted spending the holidays together in Reynolds’ hometown of Vancouver. “They seemed like a really sweet couple,” an onlooker told PEOPLE.
September 9, 2012: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds get married
On Sept. 9, 2012, the couple tied the knot at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Details of the ceremony were kept super secret, but there was a children’s choir, a paper lantern sendoff over the river and a sour cream wedding cake with peach-apricot preserves. She later revealed that pal Florence Welch performed at the event and left a souvenir — a burn mark from a sparkler — on her Marchesa wedding gown.
In 2020, Reynolds publicly apologized and expressed regret for hosting their wedding at a former plantation.
“It’s something we’ll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for,” Reynolds said during an interview with Fast Company in 2020. “It’s impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy. Years ago, we got married again at home — but shame works in weird ways. A giant f—— mistake like that can either cause you to shut down, or it can reframe things and move you into action.”
May 5, 2014: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds make their red carpet debut as a couple
In May 2014, almost two years after officially becoming husband and wife, the duo made their red carpet debut as a couple at the Met Gala, looking like the epitome of Old Hollywood glamour in their black tie finest.
Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively’s Best Red Carpet Moments
October 6, 2014: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds reveal they’re expecting their first child
A few months after their red carpet debut as a couple, Lively announced via a post on her website, Preserve, that they were expecting their first child. She shared several photos of herself cradling her baby bump.
“They are absolutely ecstatic and just so ready for this. It is the perfect time in their lives to start this new chapter; they are so in love and are going to be amazing parents,” a source told PEOPLE at the time.
The duo later attended the 2014 Angel Ball together, where Lively showed off her baby bump in a yellow dress.
December 16, 2014: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds welcome their first child
In January 2015, it was announced that the couple had welcomed their first baby together, a daughter named James. A year later, Reynolds revealed James’ official birth date was Dec. 16, 2014 when he shared a cheeky birthday tribute on Twitter, writing, “Happy birthday to my baby girl! Sad I lost my virginity. But thankful I have a daughter.”
April 2016: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds reveal they’re expecting their second child
In April 2016, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that Lively and Reynolds were expecting their second child together.
“Blake is absolutely thrilled, and so is Ryan,” the source told PEOPLE at the time.
Lively later showed off her growing baby bump during the press tour for her film, The Shallows, including at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016 when she sported a Disney-esque blue gown.
September 2016: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds welcome their second child
In September 2016, the couple welcomed their second child together, a baby girl named Inez.
December 15, 2016: Blake Lively supports Ryan Reynolds at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony
When Reynolds got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2016, he was joined by his wife and daughters, marking their first-ever public appearance as a family.
During the ceremony, Reynolds thanked Lively, calling her “everything to me.” He added: “You are the best thing, the best thing that has ever happened to me — second only to this star …You make everything better, absolutely everything in my life better. You’ve made me the father of my dreams when I thought I only had fun uncle potential.”
May 2, 2019: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds reveal they’re expecting their third child
While attending the premiere of Reynolds’ film Pokémon Detective Pikachu in May 2019, the couple announced they were expecting their third child (which Lively proudly confirmed as she showed off her bump in a Pokémon-appropriate yellow dress).
October 2019: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds welcome their third child
In October 2019, PEOPLE confirmed that the couple had welcomed their third child together. Shortly after, Reynolds confirmed the news himself in a post on Twitter (now X), sharing that the baby was a girl. Taylor Swift later had the honor of revealing their daughter’s name as Betty when she included the names of Lively and Reynolds’ daughters in songs featured on her Folklore (2020) album.
July 31, 2021: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds celebrate the 10th anniversary of their first date
On July 31, 2021, Lively and Reynolds went back to where it all started to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their first date, dining at Boston sushi eatery O Ya.
“If it weren’t for this place. We wouldn’t be together. No joke,” Lively wrote on her Instagram Story. “No restaurant means more to us.”
March 17, 2022: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are announced as Met Gala co-chairs
In March, Vogue announced that the couple would be serving as co-chairs for the 2022 Met Gala alongside Oscar-winning actress Regina King and Broadway superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda. The fashion event holds special significance for the couple as it was where they made their red carpet debut.
Blake Lively’s Met Gala Looks Through the Years
May 2, 2022: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend the Met Gala together
Lively and Reynolds attended the 2022 Met Gala side by side as co-chairs of the annual charity event. The two brilliantly followed the Gilded Age dress code, with Reynolds wearing a velvet tux and Lively donning a detailed gown with opera gloves and a crown.
August 9, 2020: Ryan Reynolds discusses Blake Lively’s reaction to him buying a soccer team
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Reynolds sat down with his Welcome to Wrexham costar Rob McElhenney and recounted how they met and decided to buy part of a Welsh soccer team together — and how Reynolds failed to consult Lively on the splurge.
“I remember seeing Blake and saying, ‘I have bad news, and I have really bad news. The bad news is I slipped into someone’s DMs again. The really bad news is that I might have bought half of a fifth-tier national football league in Wales,’ ” Reynolds said.
The actor said his wife’s reaction to the news was “not good.”
“We’re still working through that one,” he said.
September 15, 2022: Blake Lively reveals she and Ryan Reynolds are expecting their fourth child
Lively revealed that she and Reynolds were expecting their fourth child as she debuted her baby bump on the red carpet at the 10th Annual Forbes Power Women’s Summit.
November 17, 2022: Blake Lively praises Ryan Reynolds’ dedication to their family
Lively spoke about Reynolds’ storied career during a speech at the prestigious American Cinematheque Awards.
“This man, he has contributed so much to the world’s most international happiness with his art, his heart, his philanthropy, his humor, his integrity, his unmatched work ethic, his self-deprecating levity, his hard-earned depths in his scripts,” Lively said.
The actress also highlighted her husband’s dedication to family life. “And now I am his home, and our girls are his home,” she continued. “And just like that 19-year-old boy [who used to commute home to Canada], he races home, whether it’s from across the globe or a meeting across the street, he is hard-wired to get home. If he came home from set not in his wardrobe, we would be very concerned.”
December 6, 2022: Ryan Reynolds thanks Blake Lively in his People’s Choice Awards speech
When Reynolds won the Icon Award at the PCAs in 2022, he expressed gratitude for his wife and kids during his acceptance speech.
“It’s gonna be a fourth child very soon. If it happens tonight while I’m here, I will be looking for a couch to sleep on for a little while … But Blake and my girls, you are quite literally my heart, my hope, my happiness,” he said. “I joke that my family exhausts me, but in reality you give me more strength than any man could possibly deserve.”
February 12, 2023: Blake Lively reveals she and Ryan Reynolds welcomed their fourth child
On Super Bowl Sunday, Lively subtly revealed she had given birth to baby No. 4, sharing a photo showing she no longer had a baby bump.
“Puppy Bowl Sunday 2023🥘 🍲 🥧 been busy,” she captioned the photo of herself along with Reynolds and his mother, Tammy, on Instagram.
Many of Lively’s followers left comments in the post that pointed out the absence of a baby bump.
“Epic post! For all the reasons!!!” wrote Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld.
July 30, 2023: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds explore Paris
The couple were spotted walking hand-in-hand through the streets of Paris in summer of 2023. Lively sported a floral dress paired with a navy pinstripe jacket, and Reynolds was seen wearing a striped button-down shirt and slacks.
February 12, 2024: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds jokingly troll each other over the Super Bowl
blake lively/instagram
After Lively joined pal Swift at the 2024 Super Bowl to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs, Reynolds (who stayed home) joked about his wife’s absence as a new trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine aired during the commercials.
In a photo posted on Instagram, Reynolds posed next to a TV while his character was on the screen, writing, “Has everyone seen the #Deadpool trailer? Also has anyone seen my wife?”
Lively got him back the next day, though, when she shared a snap in the same spot on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Honey, I’m home. My day was good. Yours?”
July 22, 2024: Ryan Reynolds reveals the name of baby No. 4
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
While speaking at the New York City premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine, Reynolds revealed that he and Lively named their fourth child Olin. The couple have yet to announce the sex of their youngest.
July 25, 2024: Taylor Swift reveals she’s the godmother of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s kids
Jim McIsaac/Getty
Ahead of the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, Swift promoted the film on Instagram. In the hilarious caption, in which she subtly poked fun at Reynolds by praising his costar Hugh Jackman, Swift also revealed that she’s the godmother of Lively and Reynolds’ kids.
She ended the post in the most Deadpool way by writing, “Shout out to Wade Wilson, aka my godkids’ sperm donor,” referencing Reynolds’ onscreen character’s name.
July 26, 2024: Blake Lively makes a special cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine
Marvel
Years after starring in Green Lantern together, Lively and Reynolds reunited on screen as the actress made a small cameo as Ladypool in Deadpool & Wolverine. Though Lively never shows her face, she does have a brief speaking part and appears in the credits. One of the couple’s daughters, Inez, is also credited with a cameo in the film.
Additionally, Reynolds makes a handful of references to Lively and her career throughout the film. At one point, he breaks the fourth wall by referencing Lively by name and in another scene he makes a raunchy joke about her hit CW series Gossip Girl.
August 6, 2024: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend the It Ends With Us premiere together
Days after Lively supported Reynolds on the red carpet for his film, the actor returned the favor and attended the premiere of Lively’s new movie It Ends With Us.
At the event, Lively told PEOPLE that Reynolds would often send her flowers while they were dating, along with a “little quote of the week.”
“When my husband and I first got together, he would send me a bouquet of flowers every week, but he would always send a card and it would just be a sentence of something that had happened that week. Something funny or emotional that one of us said,” she said.