Ryan Reynolds Calls Blake Lively the ‘Best Human’ in Birthday Message After Justin Baldoni Legal Saga

Ryan Reynolds celebrated Blake Lively‘s 39th birthday with a sweet tribute.

On Tuesday, August 25, the Deadpool & Wolverine star, 49, posted an Instagram carousel filled with photos of the Gossip Girl alum, including selfies of them throughout the years as well as some with their children.

“August 25th is this family’s Super Bowl™️. Happy Birthday to the very best human I know,” Reynolds gushed in the caption. “You’re not just another courageous and deeply kind genius. You’re also unreasonably cute. I know how lucky I am that you were born.”

“Every time I’ve ever hit my head, it’s YOUR life that flashes before my eyes,” he further joked.

As Star readers know, it’s been a tough couple of years for the A Simple Favor star as she was locked in a legal battle with her It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni.

The legal saga began in December 2024 when the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress sued Baldoni, 42, and Wayfarer Studios, alleging sexual harassment, defamation, and other claims. The Jane the Virgin alum denied all the allegations against him and filed a defamation countersuit, which the judge dismissed in June 2025.

Then, in April, the judge dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims, including all sexual harassment claims against Baldoni, leaving three claims against Wayfarer Studios. However, the parties settled the lawsuit in May.

In a May story on Rob Shuter‘s Naughty But Nice Substack, a source claimed Reynolds was encouraging Lively to settle behind the scenes.

“Ryan saw the full picture early” the source alleged. “He knew the longer this dragged on, the more it would erode everything — her career, her reputation, even their closest relationships.”

Lively and the Canadian actor tied the knot in 2012 and share daughters James, 11, Inez, 9, Betty, 6, and son Olin, 3.