Honestly, if you scroll through Instagram for more than five minutes, you’re bound to see Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively trolling each other. They’ve basically become the internet’s favorite example of "marriage goals." But before the red carpets and the four kids, Reynolds had a whole other life in the spotlight. People often forget that the Deadpool star wasn't always part of Hollywood's most golden couple.
So, who was Ryan Reynolds married to before Blake? The answer usually surprises people because his first wife is just as famous as he is—maybe even more so depending on which fan base you ask. We’re talking about Scarlett Johansson.
The Marriage Nobody Remembers: Scarlett Johansson
It’s wild to think about now, but Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson were actually husband and wife for about two years. They started dating in 2007, right around the time he was coming off a very high-profile engagement. By May 2008, they were engaged, and they tied the knot in a super quiet ceremony near Vancouver in September of that same year.
They were incredibly private. Like, "no photos together on the red carpet" private.
The marriage didn't last. By December 2010, they released a joint statement saying they were ending things. They mentioned entering the relationship with love and leaving it with "love and kindness." Nice, right? But the rumor mill in Hollywood never stays quiet for long.
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Why did they actually split?
Years later, Scarlett gave some hints in an interview with Cosmopolitan. She didn't name names, but she talked about how tough it is to be with another actor. She mentioned that "logistics" are a nightmare and that "competitiveness" can creep in when two people’s careers are moving at the same speed.
At the time, Scarlett was already a massive star, and Ryan’s career was just hitting that stratosphere level. Living in that kind of pressure cooker is probably a lot harder than it looks from the outside.
The "Soul Brother" Era: Alanis Morissette
Technically, they were never married, but you can't talk about Ryan’s history without mentioning Alanis Morissette. They were the ultimate Canadian power couple of the early 2000s. They met at Drew Barrymore’s birthday party in 2002 and were engaged by 2004.
Alanis used to call him her "soul brother." She once told People she felt "so loved by him, in a trampoline kind of way." Which is... a choice of words.
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They never made it down the aisle. They broke up in 2007, and it reportedly hit Alanis pretty hard. If you’ve ever listened to her 2008 album Flavors of Entanglement, specifically the song "Torch," that’s basically a diary entry about their breakup. She’s been open about hitting "rock bottom" after that split.
Meeting Blake: The Green Lantern "Disaster"
We all know the movie Green Lantern was a bit of a flop. Ryan trolls it constantly. But it’s the reason he met Blake Lively in 2010. At the time, they were both with other people. Ryan was still married to Scarlett, and Blake was dating her Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley.
They were just buddies at first.
The turning point was a double date about a year later. The funny thing? They were each on a date with other people. Ryan has described it as the most awkward night ever because the "fireworks" between him and Blake were so obvious that their actual dates probably felt like third and fourth wheels.
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The Secret Wedding and the Apology
They got married on September 9, 2012. It was a small, secret ceremony at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina.
While the wedding looked like a Pinterest dream, it later became a point of major regret for them. Years later, they apologized for choosing a plantation as their venue, acknowledging the history of slavery associated with the site. Ryan told Fast Company in 2020 that it was a "giant f—ing mistake" and something they are "unreservedly sorry for." They’ve since focused on making amends through significant donations to civil rights organizations like the NAACP.
How They Make It Work in 2026
Fast forward to today, and they’ve got four kids: James, Inez, Betty, and their son Olin. So, what’s the secret? How did he go from a "competitive" marriage with Scarlett to this seemingly unshakable bond with Blake?
- Friendship First: They actually liked each other as people before they ever dated.
- The "One at a Time" Rule: They famously don't work at the same time. If one is filming, the other is with the kids.
- Humor as a Shield: They roast each other constantly. It keeps things grounded.
It’s easy to look at celebrities and think it’s all perfect, but Ryan’s history shows he had to go through a few "not quite right" situations to figure out what he actually wanted.
What You Can Take Away
If you’re looking at his track record, the biggest lesson is probably that compatibility isn't just about being famous or successful together. It's about the "logistics" Scarlett mentioned. If you can’t navigate the boring, day-to-day stuff—or if you’re competing with your partner instead of cheering for them—it’s going to crumble.
If you want to keep up with how they're handling their latest projects, you might want to look into how they balance their various business ventures, like Aviation Gin or Betty Buzz, alongside their acting careers.