The Untold Truth Of Blake Lively

Blake Lively is arguably one of the most naturally stunning, effortlessly glamorous women in the world. She's popped up in some of the biggest movies and TV shows of all time over the course of her impressive career, from her breakthrough role as spoiled socialite Serena van der Woodsen in "Gossip Girl," to her first big movie role playing Bridget Vreeland in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," to the take-no-prisoners Carol Ferris in "Green Lantern."

But despite her massive success, it seems like Lively has continued to keep a good head on her shoulders, as she's clearly mastered the fame game and everything that comes with it. "There have been so many things written about me that are untrue and horrifying. I can't even believe that my family has to read this stuff," Lively admitted to Vogue in 2014. "You just have to do what makes you happy, because you'll never get a unanimous vote. People like to gossip. They bond over it. They don't bond over complimenting famous people."

But, as it turns out, there really are plenty of things to compliment when it comes to Lively. Some of which you may not even know! So what's the untold truth of this California-born down-home glamour girl?

Don't expect to see Blake Lively falling out of a club with a drink in hand like her "Gossip Girl" character Serena van der Woodsen. In fact, Lively is actually teetotal. "I don't drink because I don't like the effects of alcohol, but I like being a part of it. I like being social. I like people coming together," Lively explained to People in November 2021. She opened up about how she sometimes feels left out of the action at parties because she doesn't have an alcoholic beverage in hand, which actually led to a huge business decision that most certainly paid off for the mom of two.

It seems that the feeling of being excluded from social drinking is actually what inspired Lively's dalliance into the drinks market, as she launched her own line, Betty Buzz, which can be mixed with alcohol or consumed alone. Lively admitted to Forbes in May 2022 that she's always been a keen cocktail maker despite her liquor aversion, saying, "I will sample a drink if I'm making somebody a beverage with alcohol — I'll taste it to make sure that it tastes good, but the mixers that were available to me were things that I would not drink unless they were doused with alcohol."

Making things even more interesting for someone who doesn't drink? Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, actually started his own gin company, Aviator Gin (now owned by Diageo).

It's hard to imagine a world where Blake Lively didn't take on the iconic role of Serena van der Woodsen in "Gossip Girl" — but if Lively had her way, it wouldn't have happened at all. She originally turned down the now-iconic role because she wanted to attend college instead. Producers told her, "Okay, you can go to Columbia [University] one day a week. After the first year [of the show], it'll quiet down. Your life will go back to normal and you can start going to school. We can't put it in writing, but we promise you can go," Lively recalled to Vanity Fair in 2017. "So that's why I said, 'Okay. You know what? I'll do this.'" Yeah, that promise of things quieting down didn't exactly come to fruition, did it?

But while it brought her fame and fortune, there may be a part of Lively that wishes she'd steered clear of The CW role after all. Lively has admitted since the show ended in 2012 that she didn't love playing the fashionable morals-lacking character, telling Allure in 2015 (via Glamour), "People loved it, but it always felt a little personally compromising — you want to be putting a better message out there." She added, "I would not be proud to be the person who gave someone the cocaine that made them overdose and then shot someone and slept with someone else's boyfriend."

As with many big movie and TV stars, Blake Lively has plenty of money in the bank. The actor is estimated to have a net worth of a whopping $30 million. But despite being a millionaire many times over, Lively isn't actually the richest person in her household. That honor goes to her husband, Ryan Reynolds, who has a reported $150 million to his name, per Celebrity Net Worth. She might be a few million behind her handsome husband, but there's no doubting that Lively's salary is, well, pretty lively, too. 

As for how Lively and Reynolds like to spend their millions, it seems that property is a favorite for the super-rich parents. They own a home in Bedford, New York, which is estimated to be worth between $2 million and $5 million. While People claimed the couple purchased the home together in 2012, an E! News source said Lively had already bought the property on her own. The home includes any fashionista's dream, as Lively gave fans a peek inside her closet via Instagram Stories in August 2021 and showed off floor to ceiling rows of shoes and designer bags, per Hello!. It sounds like one house may not be good enough for these multi-millionaires, though. OK! claimed in April 2022 that the two were supposedly looking to buy a new home in Nashville while still holding on to their New York house. They also reportedly keep a luxurious Tribeca-area apartment in New York City.

Sound the awkward alarm, because Blake Lively and her now husband Ryan Reynolds once went on a double date, but not with each other! Reynolds dropped this bombshell on us while chatting on Entertainment Weekly's SiriusXM show in 2016, where he recalled the double date we're guessing their actual dates would probably rather forget. Reynolds shared that he and Lively were nothing more than friends until around a year after they'd appeared in "Green Lantern" together, recalling, "She was on a date with another guy, and I was on a date with another girl — and that was the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across the [table]." He added, "We were buddies for a long time, which is, I think, the best way to have a relationship is to start as friends."

When they first met, Lively was still dating her "Gossip Girl" co-star Penn Badgley and Reynolds was married to his first wife, Scarlett Johansson. Both those relationships weren't built to last, though, and Lively and Reynolds tied the knot in 2012. They kept things pretty private when it came to their big day, but gave a us mere mortals a peek at their nuptials by sharing snaps with Martha Stewart Weddings.

Will Blake Lively's talents literally never cease? We know the star is an incredible actor, businesswoman, mom, wife, and so much more, and now we can add cook and baker to that seemingly never-ending list. In fact, Lively loves being in the kitchen so much that she has big dreams of going pro. "I want to have a brunch place, a bakery, and a Southern restaurant — because my family's from Georgia — and then I want a place that is all-over-the-world cuisine," she told Allure in September 2010. "I take a cooking class everywhere I travel. I find it's the best way to get to know a culture. It's what people bring to the family every day, what they break bread over. It's a very intimate thing" (via OK!).

The star often shows off some of her kitchen triumphs on social media, too. In February 2021, she displayed a stunning unicorn-themed birthday cake she'd made on Instagram and joked in the caption that she thought it was worthy of "The Great British Baking Show." "If I don't get a handshake from @paul.hollywood after decorating this one, I quit," she wrote. Prior to that, in 2018, she shared a snap on Instagram of herself and her girlfriends with piping bags in their hands as they learned how to make macarons. Delicious! 

Only, we think the whole acting thing seems to be working out pretty well for this star so far.