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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Brittany Miller

Ryan Reynolds reveals gender of fourth child with Blake Lively

Getty Images for Netflix

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Louise Thomas

Louise Thomas

Editor

Ryan Reynolds has subtly revealed the gender of his fourth child with Blake Lively.

The Deadpool actor made the announcement in a video posted to Instagram alongside John Bell, a special Wrexham AFC fan who recently lost his son.

Earlier this week, Lively and Reynolds attended the New York City premiere of Reynolds’ latest film Deadpool and Wolverine on Monday, July 22. While speaking before the screening at the David H Koch Theater, the actor took the opportunity to thank his wife and four children.

The couple seemingly confirmed the arrival of the fourth child back in February 2023, but they have since kept the name and gender private.

“I just want to start by saying thank you to my wife, Blake, who’s here. Her outfit is amazing, spoiler alert,” Reynolds said. “I want to thank my kids – James, Inez, Betty, Olin – who are here. I hope that, if I’m lucky, this moment will be the most traumatic thing – that is, the contents of this movie – that happens in your wondrous life.”

He added: “I love that my entire family is here.”

In the Instagram video, Bell discussed his grieving process after losing his son, Jake, and Reynolds used the opportunity to talk about his own children while offering his condolences.

A still from the new Deadpool and Wolverine film
A still from the new Deadpool and Wolverine film (20th Century Studios / MARVEL)

“I want to share with you that I too have a son and that if … boy, John, if I love him one-tenth as much as you love Jake, I feel like I’ve done a pretty damn good job,” Reynolds said, confirming that Olin is the couple’s only son.

Bell revealed that his son loved the Deadpool movies, describing him as “so funny, so comical.”

“We did everything together. He was my firstborn son. He was just absolutely everything to me.”

The fan continued, explaining that following his son’s death, he went to “a very dark place.” “I was planning my own death and talking myself into staying because my family needs me, my kids need me. What I do now keeps me alive daily because I’ve made my peace with death. I’m gonna be reunited with him at some point, but it damn right ain’t now,” he said.

Reynolds responded by praising what Bell was doing to ensure mental health resources were more readily available to those who needed them.

“The resilience it takes to, you know, put one foot in front of the other as many times as you’ve done it, and transmute that much grief into something powerfully useful,” Reynolds said, letting Bell know that he was “very grateful” that he shared his story with him.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend the "Deadpool & Wolverine" New York Premiere on July 22
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend the "Deadpool & Wolverine" New York Premiere on July 22 (Getty Images)

In addition to Lively and Reynolds’ fourth baby name being revealed, it was also seemingly revealed that Taylor Swift might be the godparent to more than one of their children.

The Grammy winner took to Instagram to give a shout-out to Reynolds following the release of his latest movie. Swift shared a photograph of herself posing alongside Reynolds, Lively, actor Hugh Jackman, and the movie’s director Shawn Levy.

Under the photo Swift celebrated the release of Reynolds and Jackman’s film, while highlighting the amount of work that “one of [her] best friends” put into making the Marvel movie.

“Over the past few years I have watched one of my best friends on the planet pour every bit of his heart, soul, sweat, time, energy, jokes, pain, joy, rebellion, darkness, and magic into this film,” Swift began her message. “He’s created the best work of his life, and this film feels like an actual joy portal, a wild escape from reality, and an abs sandwich. I don’t know how he did it.”

She joked: “But that’s just Hugh for you! These other randoms crashed the photo and we were too polite to ask them to leave.”

At the end of her message she wrote specifically referencing Reynolds’ character in the film, “Shout out to Wade Wilson, aka my godkids’ sperm donor!”

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