Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds praised his wife Blake Lively as "courageous" in an Instagram birthday post on Wednesday, just hours after a New York judge awarded her $400,000 in legal fees following a legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
Reynolds, who has been married to Lively for almost 14 years, shared a carousel of photographs taken over the course of their relationship to mark her 39th birthday, which took place on Tuesday, August 25.
"August 25th is this family's Super Bowl™️," Reynolds wrote in the caption. "Happy Birthday to the very best human I know."
The shared photographs captured the couple in casual settings, including taking hikes together, posing for selfies, and enjoying a day at Disneyland where Lively wore sunglasses. Other snaps showed the pair spending time with their children.
Reynolds and Lively share four children: daughters James, 11, Inez, nine, Betty, six, and son Olin, three.
"You're not just another courageous and deeply kind genius. You're also unreasonably cute," Reynolds added in his caption.
One picture showed the couple sharing a laugh while a relaxed Lively displayed damp hair without makeup. Reynolds concluded his tribute with a humorous message expressing his love for his wife.
"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," Reynolds's post concluded.
The tribute prompted messages from celebrity friends. Actor Hugh Jackman commented, "Happy Birthday Blake!!!" while Rob McElhenney, Reynolds's co-owner of Welsh football club Wrexham AFC, applauded his business partner's post.
Relationship and family history
Reynolds and Lively first met in 2010 on the set of their film Green Lantern. They began dating the following year in October 2011.
The couple tied the knot on September 9, 2012, in South Carolina. They welcomed their first child, James, in December 2014.
Court ruling on legal fees
Lively's birthday came shortly after details emerged regarding her court battle with actor Justin Baldoni, her co-star in the 2024 movie It Ends With Us.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in New York ruled that Lively will receive $400,000 in legal fees from Baldoni, after she demanded $8.3 million following their settlement.
Judge Lewis Liman ruled that Lively will receive just five percent of the amount she sought to recoup for defending herself against Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit.
In an order obtained by the Daily Mail, Judge Lewis Liman ruled: "The clerk of court is respectfully directed to enter judgment for Lively in the amount of $363,245.40 in attorneys' fees and $44,206.35 in costs".
The judge stated that the number of hours Lively billed for her lawyers was "unreasonable" and criticized "discrepancies" in the legal expenses she attempted to claim.
The court ruling comes months after Judge Liman threw out most of the claims in Lively's sexual harassment case against Baldoni, leading both parties to settle with no money changing hands. The judge had previously dismissed Baldoni's $400 million defamation countersuit against Lively, while allowing her to seek legal fees specifically related to defending against that action.
Origins of the legal battle
Lively sued Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us and defamation.
Baldoni responded in January 2025 with a $400 million defamation lawsuit targeting Lively, Reynolds, and the New York Times, which was the first outlet to publish her allegations.
Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni's suit in October 2025. In May 2026, after the judge dismissed most of Lively's claims, she agreed to settle her action.
Weeks later, Lively filed court documents seeking to recoup her legal expenses. In court filings last month, she disclosed seeking $4,544,094 for law firm Wilkie, Farr & Gallagher and $2,951,432 for law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. Additional costs tied to a June 1 hearing added $300,000, bringing her total fee demand to $8.3 million.
