Ryan Reynolds opens up about adjusting to family of six with Blake Lively: ‘We love it’

Ryan Reynolds has shared how he and Blake Lively are adjusting to becoming a family of six after welcoming their fourth child in February.

Speaking to ET Canada at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards on Friday, the Deadpool star gave rare insight into his family life with the Gossip Girl alum. While it’s only been two months since the parents welcomed their fourth child, Reynolds revealed that going from three children to four hasn’t been the difficult transition that they were expecting.

“You know, two to three was a huge jump…three to four less so,” he told ET Canada. “I cannot speak for my wife, but it’s just from what I’ve observed. But, we love it. You know, we would be idiots to do this again if we didn’t love it.”

The Free Guy actor explained that he and his wife have always wanted a big family, having both come from big families themselves.

“Yeah, I come from four, Blake comes from five. Both of us are the youngest,” he said.

As he spoke about his three daughters – James, eight, Inez, six, and Betty, three – the 46-year-old actor didn’t miss the opportunity to joke about his girls, saying: “I haven’t met any of them yet, but they seem great. They have a private Instagram account that I follow.”

Reynolds and Lively, who have been married since 2012, have previously given fans a glimpse inside their family life. Last February, the 35-year-old actor appeared to confirm she had given birth to their fourth child when she shared a photo of herself on Instagram, in which she joked that she’d “been busy” and shared a photo without her baby bump. However, the name and sex of their newborn has yet to be revealed.

Reynolds previously gave an update on his new family of six, joking that he lives in a “zoo” after welcoming their fourth child.

“We’re very excited. We wouldn’t do this four times if we didn’t love it,” he said on CNBC’s Power Lunch in February. “Everyone is doing great. Everyone is actually doing fantastic. If we hadn’t figured it out by now, I think we’d be in deep, deep trouble! But it’s a zoo over here.”

Last month, fans praised Reynolds’ sweet interaction with his children after a viral TikTok captured Reynolds at a Wrexham AFC match with his family. The clip showed the Wrexham co-owner’s three daughters running towards him on the field at the stadium in Wales. Reynolds bent down to hug and kiss his daughters, as Lively walked closely behind. Later on, The Proposal star was pictured holding their newborn, who was bundled up in a fuzzy white onesie and a grey beanie, in his arms.

Prior to welcoming their fourth child in February, Reynolds – who’s famously known as the ultimate girl dad – joked that he wanted their baby to be another girl.

“I don’t know, we never find out until [they’re born],” he said about his fourth baby’s gender during an appearance on Today in November. “I know girls, so I’m kind of hoping that. But I’m ready for whatever happens.”

He also acknowledged that he grew up with brothers himself, and joked that this “experience” influenced his interest in having another daughter.

“I love my well-being and my home. I was the youngest of four, so we were just arsonists and firemen,” Reynolds said.

The Red Notice star has even discussed his fears about having a son. In an interview with Access Hollywood in November 2021, he confessed that when Lively was pregnant with their third child, he wanted another daughter.

“When we had our youngest, I was quietly terrified it was gonna be a boy because I didn’t know, we didn’t know,” he said. “I didn’t know anything but girls. I grew up with boys and I was constantly being thrown through walls when there was a perfectly good door five feet away.”