If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or scrolled through celebrity news lately, you’ve probably seen a weirdly persistent question popping up: who is Blake Lively ex husband? It's one of those things that people search for so often it’s basically become an urban legend.
The short answer? She doesn’t have one.
Honestly, it’s kinda wild how many people are convinced Blake was married before she tied the knot with Ryan Reynolds back in 2012. Maybe it’s because Ryan himself was famously married to Scarlett Johansson before Blake, and people just assume both halves of Hollywood’s "Golden Couple" have a starter marriage in their closet. Or maybe it’s just the sheer length of her previous relationships that makes them feel like they must have involved a legal document.
Whatever the reason, if you're looking for a secret divorce or a hidden wedding video from 2008, you're going to be looking for a long time. It simply didn't happen.
The Penn Badgley Era (And Why People Think They Were Married)
The biggest "suspect" for the title of Blake Lively ex husband is almost always Penn Badgley.
You know him as Dan Humphrey from Gossip Girl or the creepy-yet-charismatic Joe Goldberg from You. From 2007 to 2010, Penn and Blake were the "It" couple of the CW era. They were young, they were gorgeous, and their on-screen chemistry as Dan and Serena was so intense that fans couldn't separate the fiction from the reality.
They dated for three years. In "Hollywood years," that's practically a silver anniversary.
They actually managed to keep their breakup a secret from the Gossip Girl crew for months. Producers didn't even know they'd split until the season 2 finale was filming. That level of privacy and the long-term nature of their relationship is likely why people misremember them as being married. But Penn is just an ex-boyfriend, not an ex-husband. He eventually moved on and married singer Domino Kirke in 2017.
The Leonardo DiCaprio Summer
After Penn, there was that very famous, very photogenic summer in 2011 where Blake was spotted all over Europe with Leonardo DiCaprio.
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They were on yachts in Cannes. They were riding bikes in NYC. It was a whirlwind. At the time, everyone thought Blake might be the one to finally get Leo to settle down. Obviously, that wasn't the case. The romance lasted about five months, which is barely enough time to plan a wedding, let alone get a divorce.
Still, the high-profile nature of her dating life—going from a long-term co-star to an Oscar winner—created this narrative of a woman who was always in "serious" commitments.
Why the Blake Lively Ex Husband Myth Persists
So, why are we still talking about a Blake Lively ex husband that doesn't exist?
Part of it is Ryan Reynolds' own history. Ryan was married to Scarlett Johansson from 2008 to 2011. Because the two Ryans (Reynolds and Gosling—Blake also briefly dated Gosling, because of course she did) and the various famous exes get tangled up in the public consciousness, many fans subconsciously assign a previous marriage to Blake to "match" Ryan's.
Then there’s the Green Lantern timeline.
- 2010: Blake and Ryan meet on set while both are in other relationships (Blake with Penn, Ryan with Scarlett).
- Late 2010: Both couples split.
- 2011: Blake has her summer with Leo; Ryan's divorce is finalized.
- Late 2011: Blake and Ryan start dating after a "double date" where they were both with other people.
- 2012: They get married at Boone Hall Plantation (an event they later publicly apologized for due to the location's history as a slave plantation).
Because their meeting and marriage happened so close to Ryan's divorce, the "ex-spouse" talk has always hovered around their relationship.
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Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you're trying to keep your celebrity trivia straight or just want to win an argument with a friend who's convinced Blake was married to a random indie rocker in 2005, here are the facts to keep in your back pocket:
- Check the "Firsts": Ryan Reynolds was Blake's first and only husband. They've been married since September 9, 2012.
- The Badgley Factor: If someone brings up Penn Badgley, remind them that while they dated for three years, there was never an engagement or a ceremony.
- The "Two Ryans" Trap: Don't confuse the brief 2010 "dating" rumors with Ryan Gosling for her actual marriage to Ryan Reynolds.
Basically, Blake Lively’s romantic history is surprisingly short for someone who has been in the spotlight for two decades. She tends to stay in long, committed relationships rather than flitting through "rebound" marriages.
The next time you see a headline about a secret Blake Lively ex husband, you can safely bet it's clickbait or a case of mistaken identity.
To stay truly up to date on her life and current projects, you can follow her official Instagram or check out recent interviews where she often talks about the reality of her "buddies-first" marriage with Reynolds.