Did Ryan Reynolds Cheat On Scarlett Johansson With Blake Lively? Inside The Rumors

An unexpected amount of scrutiny has been paid to Hollywood power couple Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively now that both had hit movies dominating the summer 2024 box office. (His "Deadpool & Wolverine," hers "It Ends with Us.") While the two have long been considered one of the industry's favorite pairs, both fans and celebrities seem to be turning on Lively, and it's bringing up old, yet pertinent questions about the timeline between Reynolds and ex-wife Scarlett Johansson's divorce and his coupling with Lively shortly after.

Whether it be the alleged falling out between Lively and co-star/director Justin Baldoni, or the general public's overexposure to Reynolds (not to mention his trademark sarcasm coming off increasingly rude, especially when it's directed toward Lively), it's starting to feel like these two might be falling out of favor, dredging up more than a decade-old affair rumor in the process. Is there any truth to this accusation that Reynolds cheated on Johansson with Lively back in 2010? Examining the timeline of the events — and a now-deleted post from an insider — makes the full picture look much clearer.

Much of the speculation surrounding Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Scarlett Johansson is rooted in the very real fact that Reynolds and Lively starred in DC's much-ballyhooed "Green Lantern" movie together. During the film's New Orleans shoot in the spring/summer of 2010, Reynolds was married to Johansson and Lively was in a relationship with her "Gossip Girl" co-star Penn Badgley. Throughout these months, Reynolds and Lively were seen spending a lot of time together, both on and off the set. Naturally, rumors of an affair began to swirl. These rumors only intensified when Reynolds and Johansson announced their divorce to People in December 2010 mere months after Lively and Badgley ended their relationship.

Reynolds and Lively's relationship became official the following fall. While Reynolds has never confirmed nor denied the rumors about an alleged affair, he has spoken on his divorce in various interviews. In a 2011 talk with Details, Reynolds said, "What was happening privately was the exact opposite of what was being reported." In typical celebrity fashion, he blamed the media for completely fabricating the story. "That was the most disturbing part," he added. "I absolutely predicted every beat of it. There's an entire economy around this sort of thing — therefore it's gotta happen one way or another." But, more than ten years later and spurred by the recent backlash against Lively and Reynolds, journalist Cat Marnell tweeted out alleged evidence to the contrary.

In August 2024, Cat Marnell took to X to claim that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively allegedly started their relationship while he was still married to Scarlett Johansson. According to Marnell's now-deleted post (via Distractify), "Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds hooked up when RR was still married to ScarJo, and holed up in a NOLA hotel room during 'Green Lantern,' and Us Weekly had discovered this." Marnell then alleged that the couple's teams used their clout to kill the story. Although Marnell's post was quickly taken down, a screenshot has been circulated far and wide.

Let's recap: We know about the reported tension in Reynolds' first marriage (which, according to hints in a Marie Claire interview with Johansson, included issues with jealousy and controlling behavior). From Marnell's post, we now have further claims about Reynold's extreme closeness with Lively while filming "Green Lantern." And, of course, we also know about the actual timing of the divorce so soon after the movie wrapped.

With all this in mind, is it safe to assume that a burgeoning relationship with Lively played a role in Reynold's divorce? The answer may never be fully known, but the viral success of Marnell's post shows that Reynolds and Lively's relationship is under the microscope.