The Red Flags In Blake Lively And Ryan Reynolds' Relationship We Just Can't Ignore

We love Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds together, we can't lie. These two are Hollywood royalty, giving us couple envy since 2011 when they started dating after meeting on the set of "Green Lantern." But as much as we adore their romance, as with many Hollywood couples, they have red flags we just can't ignore. Case in point? In 2015, a source claimed to Radar Online that Reynolds and Lively supposedly had different ideas about what they wanted in a marriage. "Blake and Ryan's career rivalry is a problem. Ryan would like a wife who stays home, but that's not Blake!" they claimed.

And that's not the only time there have been whispers of trouble in paradise for this age gap couple (there's 11 years between the two). There have been troubling rumors about exactly how and when these two got together, and Reynolds once admitted he bought a soccer team without telling his wife. Yikes. To break down these red flags and more, we spoke exclusively to Nicole Moore, celebrity relationship expert and host of the Love Works podcast.

We know Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds met around 2010 while filming "Green Lantern," but the two have always said they didn't get romantic until 2011. Speaking about when he started dating his now wife, Reynolds shared on "SmartLess" that "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." 

In December 2010, though, an unnamed waitress told Daily Mail they'd allegedly spotted Reynolds and Lively on what looked like a date. "It was just the two of them and they were laughing and flirting," they claimed. "If you didn't know who they were, you would definitely assume they were a couple." The awkward thing? Reynolds was still married to Scarlett Johansson, with the two announcing their split on December 14, 2010.

There's no proof Lively and Reynolds got together before his and Johansson's separation (in fact, Reynolds denied the rumors to Details in 2011), but Nicole Moore told us that if they did, that would be a big red flag. "Typically, people cheat due to unresolved emotional issues within themselves or due to inability to communicate and operate with integrity in a relationship," she exclusively told Women. "They can often carry those issues into the next relationship."

Lots of relationships include some laughing and joking, but Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds seem to be at it constantly. Could their lightheartedness hide something more serious? "They always jokingly roast each other on social media. While it may be the case that this couple connects via humor and these posts are truly innocent, sometimes people use humor to mask deeper feelings that they aren't dealing with," Nicole Moore exclusively told Women. "Since the couple's social media posts about each other are almost always joking, one might start to wonder if they are playing a bit more so than revealing how they truly feel about each other, good or bad."

Lively and Reynolds are notorious for poking fun at each other, especially on special occasions. In 2017, for example, the two swapped the most unserious of birthday posts. For Lively's big day, Reynolds posted a photo to Instagram of them on the red carpet, but cropped Lively out. For Reynolds' birthday, Lively shared a photo on her Instagram of Reynolds with Ryan Gosling, but got her revenge by cropping her husband out of the shot. Perhaps tellingly, it's since been deleted. The two have also quipped about one another in interviews, with Reynolds joking on "The Late Show with David Letterman" in 2015 that he would use Lively as a "human shield" to protect their children (via Vanity Fair). Of course, Reynolds was only kidding, but we can't help but feel that his joke took things a little too far.

When the "It Ends With Us" trailer dropped, fans of the book weren't thrilled with Blake Lively's casting. But once the movie was released in theatres in August 2024, Lively found herself in the firing line for different reasons. There were rumors of behind-the-scenes drama with the cast, and Lively also caught heat for her upbeat promotion of the movie, which centered around domestic violence. 

After an Instagram user accused Lively of "promoting happiness in a domestic violence setting without any regard for any victims", Lively's brother-in-law, Bart Johnson, rushed to her defense. He clapped back in a comment (via Pop Base) reading, "I can promise you the truth has not come out yet. Blake worked harder on this film than anything I've seen her do my entire life. Because it meant so much to her." Her husband Ryan Reynolds, though? He didn't publicly say anything. "Ryan did not put out a clear statement defending his wife," Nicole Moore exclusively told Women. "That's a red flag because it may signify that his own personal reputation or fear of backlash is more important to him than protecting his wife."

Fans noticed the "Free Guy" star's silence, too. "Anyone else thinks it's weird that the entire internet is dragging Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds has not only not said a word to defend HIS wife, but is posting Deadpool promo on IG?" one fan questioned on X, formerly known as Twitter. Something that made Ryan Reynolds silence over Lively's "It Ends With Us" drama even stranger? He was actually involved in the movie, helping rewrite some of the script.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Though Ryan Reynolds didn't speak out publicly amid the Blake Lively "It Ends With Us" backlash, he did step in when the movie was being made. Lively revealed to E! News in August 2024 that Reynolds wrote a scene, but she kept his involvement secret from the rest of the cast. In fact, her co-star Justin Baldoni had no idea Reynolds was involved until Lively's interview. 

"He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his," Lively said. And that was nothing new — these two are heavily involved in one another's careers. "If I'm working on a movie, he helps me with my character; I do the same with him," Lively said in a 2014 Vogue interview. Reynolds also admitted they follow each other around the world when they're working. "We don't split up. Like, I shoot movies, and my wife shoots movies, and we go travel all over the place," he told Access Hollywood in 2020.

According to Nicole Moore though, that could become a problem. Though it can be a bonding experiences when couples work together and get along, she noted, "It becomes a red flag when one partner doesn't trust their creative vision enough without their partner's input. If Blake honors her partner's opinion while ultimately staying true to her own, then it's not a red flag. But if she relies on his opinion due in part to a lack of belief in herself, then it's a red flag."

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are each multi-millionaires with massive acting careers and plenty of business ventures. Only, Reynolds has a lot more cash in the bank than his wife. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Lively is worth $30 million thanks to movies, TV, and investments, including her Blake Brown hair care line. Her husband, though, is reportedly worth more than 10 times that, with a net worth of $350 million. And that may cause tension. 

"Ryan makes significantly more money than Blake. While couples having disparate incomes is not always a problem in some couples it turns into a power struggle dynamic," Nicole Moore explained exclusively to Women. "If Ryan operates as if Blake is fully his equal despite her earning less, then it's a green flag. However, if Blake feels she has to cede power to him because he earns more, it's a red flag," she added.

We know money has caused tension for these two before, when Reynolds quietly bought a Welsh soccer team. The actor admitted on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in 2022 that he didn't tell Lively he'd put money into Wrexham A.F.C. until after the sale went through — which left Lively livid. "Not great," he said of her reaction. "We're still working through that one." We're not talking just a few dollars here, either. He and Rob McElhenney bought the club for $2.5 million. Ouch.