If you’ve spent any time on Instagram in the last decade, you’ve probably seen it. A blurry photo of Ryan Reynolds with half of Blake Lively’s face cropped out. Or maybe a birthday tribute that’s actually just a video of Ryan doing a "duet" with Mariah Carey while his wife is nowhere to be seen. It’s the brand of chaos that has made Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively the internet’s favorite couple. But honestly? Behind the trolling and the "Buckingham Palace" office jokes, there is a massive business empire and a pretty wild legal battle that most people are barely tracking.
The thing about these two is that they’ve managed to do the impossible in Hollywood: stay relevant without being exhausting. Well, mostly. Lately, things have gotten a bit more complicated than just funny tweets. Between a high-stakes lawsuit involving the film It Ends With Us and their ever-expanding roster of companies, the "mom and dad of the internet" are actually high-level corporate titans.
How It All Actually Started (It Wasn’t Love at First Sight)
People love a good "met on set" story, and yeah, they met while filming Green Lantern back in 2010. But they weren't together then. Not even close. At the time, Ryan was still married to Scarlett Johansson. Blake was dating her Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley. They were just... buddies.
The real spark didn't happen until about a year later. They famously went on a double date—with other people. Ryan has joked that it was the most awkward night ever because he and Blake were basically "fireworks coming across the table" while their actual dates just sat there. Awkward for the dates? Definitely. Great for us? Clearly.
They got married in 2012 in South Carolina. They’ve since been very open and "deeply and unreservedly sorry" about the choice of venue—a former plantation. They actually ended up getting married again at home years later because, as Ryan put it, the shame of that mistake is something you have to work through and learn from. It was a rare moment of "celebrity accountability" that actually felt sincere rather than a PR script.
The 2026 Reality: Lawsuits and "Buckingham Palace"
Fast forward to right now, January 2026, and the vibe is a bit different. If you haven't been following the fallout from It Ends With Us, you're missing a lot of the current tension. Blake has been locked in a legal battle with her co-star and director Justin Baldoni. It’s messy.
📖 Related: Meghan Markle and Katherine Ryan: Why the Comedian Finally Swapped Support for Skepticism
In recent court filings, Baldoni claimed that Blake used to call her New York penthouse office "Buckingham Palace" because of the sheer number of A-listers walking through it. There have been depositions, talk of "hostile work environments," and even Ryan getting dragged into the conversation. Baldoni alleged that Ryan once "berated" him during a meeting at the apartment.
The trial is actually set for May 2026. Blake recently beefed up her legal team by hiring Sigrid McCawley—a lawyer famous for representing Jeffrey Epstein’s victims. This isn't just "celebrity drama" anymore; it’s a full-blown legal war that’s pulling back the curtain on how much power the couple actually wields in New York and London.
The Kids: James, Inez, Betty, and Olin
Despite the chaos of their professional lives, they’ve managed to keep their four kids relatively shielded. We didn't even know the name or sex of their fourth child for over a year. It wasn't until the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere in 2024 that Ryan finally thanked his kids by name: James, Inez, Betty, and... Olin.
- James (11): Named after Ryan's late father. She’s the voice you hear at the start of Taylor Swift's song "Gorgeous."
- Inez (9): According to Ryan, she has a "dark side" and is obsessed with movie villains like Gaston.
- Betty (6): The namesake of Blake’s beverage brand, Betty Buzz.
- Olin (2): Their first boy.
They live in the Bedford area of Upstate New York, far enough from the city to avoid the daily paparazzi grind but close enough to "Buckingham Palace" to run their businesses.
More Than Just Acting: The Business Empire
If you think they just make movies, you're missing about 80% of their net worth. Ryan is basically a marketing genius who happens to act. Between Mint Mobile (which sold to T-Mobile in a deal worth up to $1.35 billion) and Aviation Gin, his business moves are legendary.
🔗 Read more: Adam Levine as the Hottest Man Alive 2013: Why It Sparked Such a Weird Debate
Then there’s Wrexham AFC. What started as a "is this a joke?" documentary project has turned into a massive boon for the Welsh city. Blake is right there with him, too. Her brand Betty Buzz is the official training kit sponsor for the team.
Blake also launched Blake Brown in late 2024, a haircare line that she spent seven years developing. She doesn't use conditioner—apparently, she’s a "mask only" person—and she’s trying to sell the world on that philosophy. It’s a huge play in the celebrity beauty space, which is already crowded, but she’s betting on her "hair icon" status to carry it.
Why We Still Care About Ryan and Blake
It’s the relatability. Or the illusion of it. They post photos where they look tired. They make fun of each other’s failures. When Ryan posted a photo of himself at the gym, Blake reposted it with a caption about "thirst content" being a "public service."
They’ve mastered the art of being "untouchable Hollywood elites" while making you feel like they’re the funny couple you’d want to grab a drink with at a dive bar. Even with the It Ends With Us controversy casting a bit of a shadow, their brand is incredibly resilient.
How to follow their lead (sorta)
If you're looking for "actionable insights" from the school of Reynolds and Lively, here's what actually works for them:
- Own your mistakes. The way they handled the plantation wedding controversy is a blueprint for crisis management. Don't hide; apologize and change.
- Diversify your income. Ryan didn't just wait for the next Deadpool check. He bought the phone company and the gin company.
- Humor as a shield. They control their narrative by being the first ones to laugh at themselves. It makes them much harder to "cancel."
The next few months are going to be interesting. As the trial date in May approaches, we’re likely going to hear more about the inner workings of "Buckingham Palace." Whether that changes the public's perception of them remains to be seen. But for now, they remain the undisputed king and queen of the celebrity-business crossover.
Keep an eye on the court filings if you want the real tea—it’s going to be a lot more revealing than an Instagram caption.