At a Glance
- Blake Lively launched her haircare brand Blake Brown and leans on Ryan Reynolds for every business decision
- The couple, married since 2012, share four children and call themselves “partners in everything”
- Reynolds serves as the official tester for all her fragrances and formulas
- Why it matters: Shows how celebrity couples can blend family and business without traditional boundaries
Blake Lively doesn’t make a move without Ryan Reynolds. The actress turned entrepreneur revealed on the January 15 episode of WWD’s The Beauty of Tomorrow podcast that her husband plays a crucial role in every aspect of her new haircare brand, Blake Brown.
From Coffee to Cosmetics: How Reynolds Shapes the Brand
Lively, 38, told host Jenny B. Fine that Reynolds, 49, isn’t just a supportive spouse-he’s her business partner in the truest sense.
“We talk shop all the time. We really are partners in everything just because we’re best friends,” Lively said. “We talk shop about, like, if I make the coffee I’m like, ‘What did you like about that? What were the details?’ We’re very curious people.”
This curiosity extends to her haircare formulations. Reynolds serves as the official male tester for:
- All fragrances
- Product formulas
- Hair treatment prototypes
- Final product approval
“He’s always stealing them from me,” Lively laughed. “So down to literally being my test strands of hair, to being somebody who I rely on for every facet of the business and my life. Nothing I do is without him.”
The Green Lantern Love Story That Built an Empire
The couple’s partnership began on the set of 2011’s Green Lantern. They married in 2012 and now share four children: daughters James (11), Inez (9), Betty (6), and son Olin (2½).
“We’re just buddies. We’re partners,” Lively explained. “Just watching him do what he’s done and how he lives and how he operates.”
This observation extends beyond business. Lively described how they become “possessed” by projects, whether mundane daily tasks or major business ventures.
“We become sort of possessed by something that we’re building or creating, something that inspires us,” she said. “And that could be something very mundane or it can be our work. Our family is something we are eternally trying to figure out how to do better.”
Family First: The Hidden Influence Behind the Brand
While Lively keeps her family life private, their influence permeates every business decision.
“My family is all over everything I do, across any of my brands or any film I’m in. Everything I do, I can see them all over it,” she revealed. “People don’t see it because I don’t share my family as much, but I see the imprint of my family, from my husband to my children to my mom and my sisters, my brothers, all over my work.”
This family-centered approach shapes how she builds her brand. Unlike celebrity lines that feel disconnected from their founders, Blake Brown reflects the Lively-Reynolds household dynamics.
The Business of Marriage: Why It Works
Lively’s approach breaks traditional celebrity brand rules. Most stars keep business and family separate. She blends them completely.
“Nothing I do is without him,” she repeated, emphasizing how Reynolds’ involvement goes beyond typical spousal support. He doesn’t just encourage-he participates in product development, marketing decisions, and quality control.
This partnership model challenges conventional wisdom about work-life balance. Rather than compartmentalizing, they’ve merged professional and personal lives completely.
Legal Battles and Business Continuity
The podcast appearance comes during Lively’s ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni, her director and costar from the 2024 film It Ends With Us. In December 2024, she sued Baldoni, 41, and others for sexual harassment and retaliation, which he denies. The trial is set for May 2026.
Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion, but that has since been dismissed by the judge.
Despite these challenges, Lively continues building her brand with Reynolds by her side. In June 2025, she spoke out about the case and said she felt “more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.”
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman told TMZ in June that Baldoni “wants to be vindicated, and that’s all that he cares about.” He added that Baldoni is “waiting for his day in court, where he can speak out to tell the truth.”
The Future of Celebrity Business Partnerships
Lively and Reynolds represent a new model for celebrity entrepreneurship. Rather than slapping their names on products, they’re building brands from the ground up with genuine involvement.
Their approach suggests that the most successful celebrity brands might be those where partners genuinely collaborate across gender lines. Reynolds isn’t just the “supportive husband”-he’s an active participant in what traditionally would be considered a “women’s business.”
This collaboration extends to their parenting. They share four children while managing multiple businesses, suggesting that their “partners in everything” philosophy applies to raising their family too.
Key Takeaways:
- Blake Lively’s haircare brand Blake Brown isn’t just celebrity-endorsed-it’s husband-approved at every stage
- Ryan Reynolds serves as official tester, advisor, and partner in the business
- The couple’s “partners in everything” approach challenges traditional business and marriage roles
- Despite ongoing legal challenges, Lively continues building her brand with family as the foundation
- Their collaboration model could influence how other celebrity couples approach business ventures
