Although many celebrities love sharing photos of their children and parenting anecdotes online, others are extremely protective of their kids' identities. Ryan Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively, definitely fall into the latter category. However, the Deadpool actor finally confirmed the sex of their fourth child 17 months after the birth.
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After marrying in September 2012, Blake and Ryan welcomed their first child, a daughter they named James, in 2014. Their daughters, Inez and Betty, were born in 2016 and 2019 respectively. Finally, baby No. 4 arrived in February 2023, and it's a…
It's a boy!
"I want to share with you that I, too, have a son," Ryan said in a video he shared via Instagram on July 26, 2024. The clip spotlighted a bereaved father, John Bell, whose son died following a mental health crisis. "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."
In the touching clip, fans also learned about John Bell's cause. John is from Nottingham, England, and his son loved Deadpool.
"He was just so funny, so comical, and we did everything together," John said when Ryan asked him about Jake. "He was my firstborn son. He was just absolutely everything to me."
While dressed as Deadpool and carrying a bathtub adorned with rubber ducks, John walks to raise awareness for mental health and funds for his charity, Walking 4 Hope.
"It represents the weight, the burdens people carry when they struggle with their mental health. But it's visual," he explained.
Walking 4 Hope not only helps others but also John himself. "After I lost my son, Jake, it put me in a very dark place," he shared in the clip. "For a year, I was planning my own death and talking myself into staying because my family need me, my kids need me."
He added: "What I do now keeps me alive daily. Because I've made my peace with death. I'm going to be reunited with him at some point — but it d— right ain't now."
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Previously, Ryan revealed their fourth child's name. On July 22, Ryan shouted out his family as he and his Deadpool & Wolverine costars took the stage at the New York City premiere of the film. "Thank you to my wife, Blake, who's here. That outfit is amazing, spoiler alert," he said.
Ryan added, "I want to thank my kids, James, Inez, Olin, who are here."
He also joked about the film being 'traumatic' for his kids. A video circulating online of Ryan's speech didn't show their kids. However, he followed up the name reveal with a self-deprecating joke. "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," she said.
