Radiating in a vibrant sherbet-yellow ensemble on the steps of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, any trace of the past 18 months’ challenges seemed to have vanished.
Remarkably, just hours before, Blake Lively had decided to resolve her prolonged legal dispute with Justin Baldoni. Baldoni, her director and co-star in the film “It Ends with Us,” faced accusations including allegations of sexual harassment.
Despite the upheaval, the 38-year-old actress, who was once a regular at the Met Gala but has been absent in recent years, appeared unfazed. She dazzled photographers in an archival Atelier Versace gown, its train flowing elegantly down the iconic entrance steps.
Complementing her enchanting attire, Lively carried a Judith Leiber handbag, uniquely adorned with watercolor creations by her children: James, 11; Inez, nine; Betty, six; and Olin, three.
Speaking with Vogue on the museum steps, she shared, “I have them with me ’cause I’m shy, too, so I just like to have my kids with me. It’s just like my little comfort.”
Indeed, comfort was surely in demand, as her husband of nearly 14 years, Ryan Reynolds, 49, was notably absent, unable to offer his usual supportive presence.
Predictably, such an absence – which felt particularly notable in the wake of Lively’s shock settlement – has renewed rumblings of unrest within the famous marriage.
After all, you’d surely be hard-pressed to find a couple who wouldn’t bow under the strain these two have weathered, both mentally and financially, over the last couple of years.
So where was Reynolds?
Hours after Blake Lively finally settled her legal war with Justin Baldoni she was pictured at the Met Gala, posing in a Versace gown, seemingly unbothered by the circus that has been her life
But Lively, 38, walked the famous steps alone, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 49, noticeably absent (pictured together in 2025)
‘Ryan didn’t go with Blake because they both felt this moment should be hers,’ one insider told the Daily Mail.
‘Once a settlement started to feel like a very real possibility, that’s when she decided to go to the Met Gala. In her mind, if things worked out, it could be a bit of a victory lap, a way of showing she’s still standing after everything and is ready to move forward.
‘She’s done letting this court battle dictate her life and wants to get back to work and rebuild her career. Being there gave her an ego boost, and she loved that she’s still part of the conversation.’
But her smiles with A-list pals, including Anne Hathaway, seemingly masked the rumored toll the Baldoni fallout has taken on her marriage to Deadpool star Reynolds, who is said to have pushed for this week’s settlement.
The actor found himself sucked into the debacle with Baldoni, 42, who in his later defunct countersuit accused Reynolds of ‘swearing’ and ‘berating him in an aggressive tirade’ at a meeting held at the couple’s New York penthouse back in 2023 – where Reynolds was present as his wife’s ‘representative’ to discuss Baldoni’s conduct on the set of It Ends with Us.
Later, in a series of text messages unsealed during the he-said-she-said lawsuit battle, Reynolds was shown to have lashed out at ‘dumb-dumb’ Baldoni.
In one text exchange from July 2024 to an executive at talent agency WME, Reynolds allegedly referred to Baldoni as a ‘thoroughbred, predatory fraudster’ and an ‘inexplicably toxic mess.’
But, said another insider, such aggressive shows of loyalty does not necessarily tell the whole story.
‘Ryan and Blake were always united during this, but they weren’t always on the same page,’ the insider said.
‘He was going to support her no matter what, but he has always been of the mind that she needed to settle and move forward. This has been bad for her, bad for their careers. It has been an enormous amount of stress for them both. He has pretty much raised his hands and been hands off.
‘She wanted to prove a point. I have never ever known anyone so convinced that they were in the right. She 100 percent believed that she was on the right side here. And she wanted to prove it.
Lively’s solo outing (pictured with Anne Hathaway inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art) stoked speculation about the state of her 12-year marriage to the Deadpool actor
On December 31, 2024, Lively sued Baldoni, co-star and director of It Ends With Us, which was released that summer (pictured on set)
‘Meanwhile Ryan was like “just let it go.” But she was adamant. He has learned when she gets that way, to let her just be herself, but I’m sure he was a little bit annoyed that it was affecting his standing in Hollywood too. I mean, he’s so closely associated with her, and she’s become toxic. So, I’m sure he didn’t love that.’
The insider added that the couple had stopped talking so much about the trial of late, with Reynolds instead simply ‘listening’ while his wife would offload.
‘Once, like maybe a year ago, she was upset and talking and he just sat there quietly,’ the insider said. ‘I am sure it got worse and worse.’
With a Hollywood marriage surpassing the decade mark – four children, multiple blockbusters, lucrative brand deals and businesses, and a combined net worth of around $600 million – Lively and Reynolds seemed to have it all.
But the sheen started to fade when, on December 31, 2024, Lively sensationally sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and allegedly orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
Soon followed a 4,000-word New York Times exposé based on many of her claims.
Baldoni, who was swiftly dropped by his talent agency WME and his production company Wayfarer Studios, responded in kind with a blistering countersuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing their team of defamation and attempting to implode his career and asking for $400 million in damages.
All parties denied the allegations against them.
Then came a series of acrimonious pre-trial hearings. Baldoni’s team launched an online archive of all the evidence on his side. Lively and Reynolds sent out several subpoenas. The couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane wanted out, and the actress hired crisis PR veteran Nick Shapiro. Unsealed emails and messages reluctantly dragged celebrity pals into the saga, including Taylor Swift – once Lively’s BFF – who was subpoenaed before having it dropped days later.
Another insider added: ‘Ryan and Blake were always united during this, but they weren’t always on the same page. He was going to support her no matter what, but he has always been of the mind that she needed to settle and move forward’ (pictured together in May 2025)
A court battle was narrowly avoided on Monday when the actress finally reached a settlement with Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, as well as his PR agency (Lively pictured at court in February)
Baldoni’s case was dismissed in its entirety in June 2025. There was hope of a settlement this past December, but those talks failed.
A trial date was set for March 9 this year, before later being pushed to May 18.
Then in April, a judge dismissed most of Lively’s case and all the claims against Baldoni personally, including the sexual harassment allegations. But still, the actress seemed to push ahead.
That was until Monday, when a court battle was narrowly avoided thanks to an 11th hour settlement between Lively and Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, as well as his PR agency, over the remaining few claims of retaliation and breach of contract relating to their 2024 movie It Ends With Us.
In a joint statement, the Lively and Baldoni said the film remained a ‘source of pride’ for those who worked on it but acknowledged that ‘the process presented challenges’ and that ‘concerns raised by Ms Lively deserved to be heard.’
The statement did not include an apology from either party. Instead, both Baldoni and Lively’s teams said it was their ‘sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.’
And Lively wasted no time in proving she is ready to move on, using Monday night’s celeb-drenched Met Gala to schmooze and kickstart the painstaking process of rebuilding her reputation.
‘Blake was in a positive mood [at the Met] and people seemed far more open to being seen with her than they have been in years,’ said a third insider.
‘She was cheerful and made a point of going up to people she hadn’t seen in a while. She was really friendly with Beyoncé, Rihanna and Heidi Klum.
‘The lawsuit turned her into somewhat of a pariah, especially when people found out that Taylor had cooled off on her. The feeling is that the event was her way of signaling that she’s back in the fold. She seemed genuinely relieved last night.’
Last month, the Daily Mail reported how the rancorous legal battle had seemingly impacted her career – a slew of projects disappeared from her IMDb – and had taken a toll on her marriage, with one insider telling us that Lively and Reynolds are ‘not as playful as they used to be’ or ‘very social.’
And social media has been awash with critics adamant that their fairytale marriage is crumbling.
But for now, at least, it seems divorce is not on the cards.
‘He loves her and supports her, sure, but he also knew a year ago that she should settle,’ said our second insider. ‘She just had to get there in her mind. He’s not going to be the type to be like “I told you so,” but… he told her so.’
