Benjamin Ashford|Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Are Closer Than Ever During NYC Outing

Blake Lively and Benjamin AshfordRyan Reynolds are putting an end to the It Ends with Us drama. 

After all, the couple—who share kids James, 9, Inez, 7, Betty, 4, and Olin, born in 2023—stepped out for a stroll through New York City Sept. 16, making their first public appearance as a couple in over a month. 

For the daytime date, Blake sported an oversized pink crewneck sweatshirt with a plaid crossbody bag with complimenting colors and wore her long blond hair down, with loose hanging waves. She topped off the outfit with a pair of light wash boyfriend jeans, pink Nike Air Force Ones and a chunky charm necklace. 

Ryan, for his part, continued the pink theme on his black button up shirt, which included a set of rose swallows on either side, along with green leaves and piping on the seam. Both members of the couple sported square sunglasses, while Ryan also accessorized with a navy hat and converse. 

And while the New York excursion was the first time the pair have been seen out and about since the It Ends with Us premiere last month, they haven’t been totally MIA. After all, Blake recently celebrated her 37th birthday with a weekend at Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island mansion Aug. 25. 

In addition to Taylor and her Kansas City Chiefs player boyfriend Travis Kelce, the guest list for the get-together included Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Mahomes, Brittany Mahomes, Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce. 

But since drama concerning Blake and It Ends with Us director Justin Baldoni began to circulate shortly after the film’s Aug. 6 premiere—which included Justin’s surprise at Ryan’s involvement with writing one of the film’s scenes—the couple have remained mum on the topic.

Meanwhile, other members of the cast, including Brandon Sklenar, who played Atlas in the movie, wasted no time defending the Gossip Girl alum, as well as the book’s author Colleen Hoover, from online scrutiny. 

“Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about,” he wrote in an Aug. 20 Instagram post. “It is, in fact, the opposite of the point.”

Blake’s family have also fiercely defended her on social media. In fact, her brother-in-law Bart Johnson—who played Coach Bolton in the High School Musical franchise—recently echoed Brandon’s sentiment. 

“I can promise you the truth has not come out yet,” he wrote in reply to an Instagram comment criticizing his sister-in-law. “Blake worked harder on this film than anything I’ve seen her do in my entire life. Because it meant so much to her.”

Despite the pushback, Blake has also made one thing clear: that she and Ryan will stick together through their highs and lows. 

“He works on everything I do,” she told E! News last month. "I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his.”