Blake Lively followed in her family’s footsteps by joining the entertainment industry.
Born in Los Angeles in 1987, Blake is the youngest of Ernie and Elaine Lively’s five children. Elaine previously welcomed her eldest three children — Lori, Jason and Robyn — with her ex-husband, Ronnie Lively, before marrying Ernie in 1979. The couple later welcomed a son, Eric, and Blake.
Ernie — who adopted his wife’s last name — and Elaine both worked as actors throughout Blake’s childhood, with Elaine also taking on the role of a talent manager. Just like her siblings, Blake also caught the acting bug and became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars with her roles in Gossip Girl, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, A Simple Favor and more projects.
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She found her own happy ending with fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, whom she married in 2012. The couple share three daughters — James, Inez and Betty — and son Olin.
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Several of Blake’s family members had her back after she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni, in December 2024. (Lively also accused Baldoni of creating a “hostile work environment” on set and attempting to ruin her reputation with a smear campaign. (His lawyer denied the “outrageous” accusations in a statement to Us Weekly, claiming the actress filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and threatened not to show up on set or do press for the film “if her demands were not met.”)
Scroll down to get to know Blake’s family:
Ernie Lively
Ernie got his acting start in the ‘70s with roles on TV shows such as The Waltons, McCloud, Fantasy Island, Fame and Falcon Crest. Over the years, he’s appeared in notable projects such as Turner & Hooch, Quantum Leap, Passenger 57, Murder, She Wrote and The West Wing, among others. He even shared the screen with Blake, playing her onscreen father in 2005’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and its 2008 sequel.
Ernie died at age 74 of cardiac complications in June 2021 with his family by his side. Blake’s drink company, Betty Buzz, is a nod to her late father, whose mother and sister were named Betty.
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In her December 2024 lawsuit against Baldoni, Blake accused her castmate of exhibiting “shocking and emotionally distressing” behavior, including “[claiming] he could speak to the dead.” Baldoni allegedly told Blake “on several occasions” that “he had spoken to her dead father,” which Blake believed was “off putting and violative.”
Elaine Lively
Blake has joked about inheriting traits from her mother, an actress and talent manager.
“I would like to replace the term ‘hoarder’ in favor of ‘maximalist’. It makes me feel better. Wonder where I get it from,” Blake jokingly captioned a December 2023 Instagram selfie with her mom sporting Tiffany & Co. jewelry. “Me: mom come take a pic for Tiffany with me. Which necklace do you want to wear? Mom: All of them. Me: no. pick your favorite. Mom: ALL of them. Turn on The Makeup Light. … the woman wins. Every time.”
Lori Lively
Born in 1966, Lori is the eldest of Elaine and Ronnie’s three children. Lori has appeared in a number of TV shows and movies over the years, including Working Girl, The Bold and the Beautiful, Melrose Place, ER, Two and a Half Men and The Mentalist.
Lori, Elaine and Robyn joined Blake on the red carpet at the New York City premiere of It Ends With Us in August 2024. “The only thing I loved more than celebrating this magical night with my sister and family was seeing her in this film,” Lori captioned Instagram pics from the event. “If you thought you loved her before, it won’t compare to how you’ll feel after experiencing the pain and joy that she brings to this role. It embodies all that she is in the most beautiful way.”
Jason Lively
Elaine and Ronnie welcomed their second child in 1968. Jason appeared in a number of shows and films throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, including The Dukes of Hazzard, 21 Jump Street and Class of Fear. He took a brief break from acting after appearing in the 1993 video game Return to Zork. His most recent credits are the 2017 films Hickok and The Possessed, per IMDb.
Jason has been married to his wife, Lani Lively, since 2005, and the pair reportedly share three children.
Robyn Lively
Born in 1972, Robyn is the youngest of Elaine and Ronnie’s kids. After a number of small TV gigs, Robyn scored her breakout role as Louise Miller in the 1989 film Teen Witch. She has built a lengthy Hollywood career over the years with roles in The Karate Kid Part III, Twin Peaks, Doogie Howser, M.D., Chicago Hope, Savannah, JAG, Letters to God, 9-1-1: Lone Star and Landman.
She tied the knot with fellow actor Bart Johnson in 1999. The two share sons Baylen and Wyatt, as well as daughter Kate.
The couple each shared messages of support for Blake after she sued Baldoni in December 2024. “FINALLY justice for my sister @blakelively,” Robyn wrote via her Instagram Story at the time, sharing screenshots of The New York Times’ article about the lawsuit.
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Johnson, meanwhile, defended Blake in the comments section of The New York Times’ Instagram post about the drama. “Her complaints were filed during the filming. On record. Long before the public conflict. The cast unfollowed him for a reason. Read this article before spiting [sic] ignorance. His PR team was stellar,” he wrote. “Gross and disgusting but highly effective. Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary. No one is with out [sic] faults. But the public got played.”
Eric Lively
Elaine and Ernie welcomed their first child together in 1981. Much like his parents and siblings before him, Eric began his acting career in the early ‘90s with roles in Full House, American Pie and So Weird. In recent years, Eric has starred in shows and movies such as A Minute With Stan Hooper, The L Word, Modern Men, A Madea Christmas and BFFs.
Eric has been married to his wife, Angelina Davydova, since 2005.
Ryan Reynolds
Blake and Reynolds met playing love interests in the 2011 superhero film Green Lantern and began dating shortly after Reynolds finalized his divorce from Scarlett Johansson in 2011. The two tied the knot one year later.
Blake hilariously shut down breakup rumors in July 2024, responding to an Instagram comment which read: “You and Ryan need to post more of each other, there were rumors going around that you two got divorced and I didn’t believe it because you two are literally the perfect couple.” Blake replied: “Haha they wish .”
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James, Inez, Betty and Olin Reynolds
Blake and Reynolds became first-time parents with the birth of their daughter James in 2014. They welcomed Inez and Betty in 2016 and 2019, respectively, and Olin in 2023.
Blake and Reynolds’ close pal Taylor Swift is the godmother of their three girls, and she famously incorporated their names in her 2020 track “Betty.” Director Shawn Levy, meanwhile, is Olin’s godfather.
Reynolds told The Hollywood Reporter in December 2024 that he and Blake “try to give” their children “as normal a life as possible” despite his and Blake’s celebrity status.
Us Weekly
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