Ryan Reynolds Declares Blake Lively The 'Love Of My Life' Days After Baldoni Settlement

Ryan Reynolds just showered Blake Lively with some positivity amidst all her Hollywood drama. On May 10, 2026, the "Deadpool" star celebrated Mother's Day by posting a sweet message about his wife of 14-years, with whom he has four children. "I appreciate this mother beyond measure," Reynolds wrote on his Instagram stories (via People). "She is kind. She is fearless. She's the absolute love of my life and to our four little kids, she's the life of their love." He also included an adorable shot of them wearing yellow raincoats and another of them enjoying a laugh out in nature.

Reynolds' IG story came shortly after Lively and her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, settled the explosive sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit Lively launched against him in December 2024. Although 10 out of 13 of Lively's claims had already been thrown out by the judge, the three remaining issues were set to go to trial later in the month. That has all been avoided now.

However, Lively is free to pursue punitive damages and legal expenses from her former co-star. "By agreeing to this settlement, and waiving their right to appeal, Justin Baldoni and every individual defendant now face personal liability for abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate Ms. Lively," her legal team declared in a statement (via Deadline). Meanwhile, Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively had already been tossed out back in June 2025.

Although Blake Lively's legal fight isn't quite over yet, as a judge has not yet decided how much, if anything, she'll recoup from Justin Baldoni for legal fees, she hasn't let that stop her plans. Lively made a flashy return to the Met Gala on May 4, 2026 — the same day her settlement with Baldoni made the news. According to her attorney, Sigrid McCawley, the timing was meant to expose "the digital retaliation campaign here that was weaponized against her," per Entertainment Tonight. McCawley added, "As part of that, it's about standing up and not being silenced, right? Moving on with your life, moving forward, and that's exactly what Blake is intent on doing."

Meanwhile, Baldoni also appears to be moving past his legal troubles. However, according to entertainment journalist Rob Shuter, that doesn't mean putting "It Ends With Us" behind him. In fact, he's hoping to possibly move forward with a film adaptation to "It Starts With Us," the follow up Colleen Hoover novel which his Wayfarer Studios owns the rights to. "Justin finally feels like he can breathe again," shared a source to Shuter's Substack. "For months, it was nonstop lawsuits, backlash, and crisis management. Now he's focused on rebuilding." They added, "Justin still believes in these stories and believes audiences are ready to move on."

Another insider even implied he'd be willing to work with Lively again for the sake of the film. "He's not interested in revenge," they told Shuter. "He just wants to make movies again." Looks like he's over it, as are the rest of us.