Red Flags In Blake Lively And Ryan Reynolds' Relationship

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are everyone's favorite celebrity power couple, and how can they not be with their Hollywood good looks and flourishing acting careers? Reynolds has achieved massive popularity in recent years thanks to his role as the Marvel Comics hero Deadpool. Similarly, everyone has been looking forward to watching Lively in the lead role of the romantic drama "It Ends With Us," which premiered on August 9, 2024. Now leading relatively drama-free lives since tying the knot in 2012, Reynolds and Lively aren't doing too bad, all things considered.

That said, the actors' steadfast relationship may not be as picture-perfect as it seems. From the outside, the pair appears happily in love with successful careers and four children together. The tabloids love to portray the two actors as "relationship goals" by focusing on their back-and-forth roasting on social media and Reynolds' tendency to bring up his wife during interviews and podcasts. However, even the strongest couples have their issues and this celeb duo is no different. The fact that they're navigating an 11-year age gap often comes up in conversation when discussing their relationship red flags, but the warning bells go deeper than that, leading some to question whether Lively and Reynolds' relationship is as secure as fans believe.

According to a conversation held between Ryan Reynolds and the hosts of the podcast "SmartLess" — which includes fellow actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett — Reynolds and Blake Lively's relationship took flight while on a double date with different people. "We were friends and buddies and about a year and a half later we went on a double date but we were dating separate people," the "Deadpool" star told the podcast co-hosts. "I was just begging her to sleep with me," he revealed.

The two celebs had "always kind of kept in touch" after filming "Green Lantern" together, but the spark ignited soon after. "Next thing you know, she was going to Boston, I was going to Boston and I said, 'Well, I'll ride with you.' We got on the train and we rode together," Reynolds shared on the podcast, adding that the development from casual friends to a romantic relationship was something "out of a fairy-tale." While there's nothing amiss with this story of the pair's unconventional meet-cute, the fact that they were both recently single raises some eyebrows. Along with "dating separate people," Reynolds had also recently divorced from actor Scarlett Johansson — who reportedly suspected Reynolds of cheating — and Lively had just ended things with Leonardo DiCaprio. The news of Lively's split arrived the same day that Lively was spotted with Reynolds in Boston. Regardless of whether the cheating allegations were true, it's possible the two were guilty of soft cheating on the down-low.

Following their whirlwind romance in Boston in October 2011, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's passing fancy developed into something more serious. As Reynolds admitted on the "SmartLess" podcast, "A week later, I was like, 'We should buy a house together.' And we did." Moving in together soon after dating — if their brief Boston trip qualifies as such — is one thing, but getting hitched a year later is another issue entirely. No one knows when exactly Reynolds proposed (with one of the most expensive celebrity engagement rings, no less) but it must not have been too long after, seeing as Reynolds invited Blake to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada, to meet his parents in December 2011.

The two actors wed in a secret ceremony on September 9, 2012, in South Carolina. The wedding venue caused some controversy as they held it on a former plantation with a history of slavery, which isn't the best way to remember your special day, is it? The pair expressed their regret for selecting that location, explaining they were unaware of the plantation's history. However, one has to wonder if their super-secret wedding was so hastily planned that the couple somehow forgot to consider a large chunk of American history while flipping through venue ideas. 

All celebrity couples must learn to juggle their acting schedules with their personal responsibilities. The Hollywood lifestyle is a busy one and although it comes with unique perks, it also entails lengthy stays away from home and irregular work hours. Thankfully, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have reached that point in their careers when they have the freedom to pick and choose their roles. In this regard, every film they work on becomes a passion project of sorts, rather than simply a job.

When asked what the right conditions would be for Lively to take on a new project, she told E! News in 2020, "I guess I really have to really, really, really, really love it, because I'm just obsessed with my kids." Lively must have fallen head over heels for "The Age of Adaline," as she filmed while pregnant with her first child. "Blake and Ryan's career rivalry is a problem," a source told Radar in 2015. "Ryan would like a wife who stays home, but that's not Blake!"

Of course, there's nothing wrong with being a stay-at-home mother, so long as Lively wants the same thing. This seems to be the case here — for now. "I've always wanted a big family," the "Gossip Girl" star told Allure back in 2012. "Oh, I'd love 30 if I could." However, children grow up quickly. A shift in Lively's life goals may affect their dynamic. The couple experienced a rocky period transitioning from full-time actors to co-parents, and their growing family won't make it any easier.

In 2020, Ryan Reynolds surprised, well, everyone when he and the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" actor Rob McElhenny bought part of Wales' Wrexham football team. This came as a complete and utter surprise to his wife Blake Lively, who had no say in the $2.5 million purchase. "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 "Free Guy" actor told McElhenny on Jimmy Kimmel, referencing the way he struck up a friendship with McElhenny. "The really bad news is that I might have bought half of a fifth-tier national football league in Wales.'" The actor told McElhenny that his wife's reaction was "not good." He added, "We're still working through that one."

Now, couples have every right to make decisions on their own and not include their significant others in every aspect of their life, but there's something to be said about people who don't care to inform their partner of significant financial investments and lifestyle changes. Making important decisions together is one of the signs that you're in a healthy relationship, so if you're in a committed marriage, failing to include your partner before making potentially life-changing decisions signals a lack of consideration for the other person. This is especially relevant when you share a home and multiple children. As hilarious as Reynolds' purchase seems to others, it still reveals a lack of respect and communication for his life partner.

Life as a famous Hollywood actor sounds grand, but the reality is much less glamorous. It isn't for everyone, with the lack of privacy and constant surveillance. So, raising kids in the spotlight presents its own set of challenges for a married couple with four children. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have done well to keep their kids far away from the public eye, but they struggle to protect their children's anonymity completely, which is likely a source of tension at home.

For instance, in 2021, Lively took to Instagram to denounce tabloids for printing photographs of their young children. "This is so disturbing," Lively commented on a since-deleted post on Hollywood Star Kids' account (via Grazia). "I've personally shared with you that these men stalk and harass my children. And you are still posting. You said you would stop. You personally promised me. This is not casual appreciation. This is YOU also exploiting very young children. Please. Delete. Please. Some parents are ok with this. We. Are. NOT."

Reynolds shares similar values when it comes to their family's privacy: "Now, that they're in school, you know, they have to have a somewhat normal schedule. I think it's really important for their development," the actor revealed in a LinkedIn interview. The couple wants their children to enjoy a relatively normal childhood, and the constant challenges to this vision may provide a source of stress in their relationship.