Inside Blake Lively's Relationship With Her Sister Robyn
Chances are that if you're a fan of Blake Lively, then you're probably familiar with her relationship with her famous husband, Ryan Reynolds. Yet the "Savages" actor has another movie star in her family. We're talking about her half-sister, Robyn Lively, who is best known for starring in the 1989 cult-classic film, "Teen Witch." Blake has been very open about her special bond with Robyn, telling Access Hollywood what being her sister means to her. "It's ... another element of you," she said, adding, "She reflects the things in me that I want to be more like."
One of the ways that Blake became more like Robyn Lively was by eventually becoming an actor — even though she originally had no interest in it, it was the "family business." Blake's father was the late actor-director Ernie Lively, and her mother, Elaine Lively, is a casting agent. "When I was born I was taken straight from the hospital to my sister's movie set ... and I would go with my parents to the acting class they taught," Blake told The National.
Robyn isn't Blake's only sibling in the industry either, since her other sister, Lori, and her brothers, Eric and Jason, are all actors too. However, it's clear that Blake is the most famous Lively, thanks to the hit TV show "Gossip Girl" and movies like "Green Lantern." Despite her success, Blake and Robyn Lively have seemingly always found time to spend together. So let's go inside their special relationship.
Blake and Robyn Lively are more than half-sisters, they're best friends
Blake Lively and Robyn Lively have made it known that they have a super close relationship that goes beyond just being siblings. For instance, Blake referred to Robyn as her "best friend" when speaking to Access Hollywood. Robyn shared similar feelings when telling The New York Post that she doesn't like labeling Blake as her "half-sister." "There's nothing about our relationship that's half," she explained, adding, "She's my sister; we're best friends."
Like most best friends, Blake and Robyn seem to have a lot of fun when they're together, which they often post about on social media. For example, in 2021, Robyn posted a photo of her and Blake trying not to laugh while they shoved vegetables in each other's faces during what was supposed to be a serious French cooking class. In the caption, Robyn wrote, "And we wonder why people think we're drunk when we're together. To date one of my favorite pics and favorite trips everr!" That wasn't the only time that they showed off how much they love to tease each other on Instagram either, because before that, they joked about Robyn taking Blake's clothes, and Blake stealing Robyn's children.
Other family members, like Robyn's husband, Bart Johnson, have also noticed how tight Blake and Robyn are. He explained to Fox News, "They've got the same energy and the same sense of humor ... It's such a charming friendship. It's a beautiful thing."
The sisters don't notice their 16 year age gap
With 16 years between them, Blake and Robyn Lively have a significant age difference, which some might think impacts their relationship. Robyn has made it pretty clear though, that it hasn't. She told Fox News, "[It] feels almost nonexistent because she's now a mom. We have so many similarities." Robyn's husband, Bart Johnson, also pointed out how the age disparity has become less of an issue as the younger Lively matured. "It's really gone a long way since Robyn was on 'Savannah' and Blake would come to hang out on set as a little girl," he said.
However, that doesn't mean that the age gap isn't there, and it's presumably more obvious on the sisters' birthdays. Yet in true Lively fashion, they've managed to find the humor in how far apart they were born. Robyn once joked about it in an Instagram tribute to Blake on her birthday, writing, "Now everyone knows you're barely, barely younger than me."
Blake is probably used to being the youngest of the people she surrounds herself with since the rest of her siblings are much older than her as well. Her oldest sister, Lori Lively, is more than 20 years her senior, while the sibling closest to her age, Eric Lively, is still six years older than her. Then there's Blake's husband, Ryan Reynolds, with whom she also has an 11-year age difference.
Blake and Robyn Lively both work as actors
It's safe to say that Blake Lively and Robyn Lively share a passion for acting, which makes sense, considering that it's basically in their blood. As mentioned, their parents worked in show business, as do their three other siblings. Blake even credits Robyn, and the rest of the Lively clan, for her success. She told The National, "I wouldn't be here if they hadn't been doing this for so many years before me ... all the respect they have has helped me immensely."
Blake has been working as an actor for over 20 years now, while Robyn Lively has more than double that time under her belt. But what may come as a surprise is that Blake and Robyn have only appeared in one movie together. That was the 2006 thriller, "Simon Says," which worked on alongside their dad, Ernie Lively, and big sister, Lori Lively. However, they've apparently collaborated some on past projects too. In 2022, Robyn told Fox News, "We used to help each other with our projects and lines, things like that." The elder sister has also protected Blake from the pitfalls of fame — she even came to her defense after Blake came under fire for blasting the paparazzi.
In recent years though, Robyn told Us Weekly that Hollywood isn't really a topic of discussion when she and her younger sister hang out. She dished, "Who's got time for that? When we're together we're talking about anything but business!"
Blake and Robyn Lively bonded even more over being mothers
Blake and Robyn Lively may share the same career, but they've apparently bonded even more over being mothers. Between them, they have six children, although Robyn's brood is much older than Blake's: Her son Baylen, and her daughter, Kate, are both over 18, while Blake's four daughters, James, Inez, Betty, and her newest addition, are all still under ten. But now that Blake is a mother, Robyn told Fox News that they've been able to connect on a "deeper level." She's even learned a thing or two about parenting from her younger sister. "I see things that [Blake] does with her kids, and I'm like ... 'I love how she handled that' and then implement that in my life with my kids," Robyn said.
In that same interview though, Robyn indicated that her younger sister has also watched how she mothers and has copped some of her parenting techniques, as well. Blake herself confirmed in an interview with OK! that the women in her family have influenced her approach to motherhood. "If I could pass along anything that my mother or my sisters taught me I feel like my kids would be very well off," Blake said.
Robyn once again praised her younger sister for how she was raising her kids when speaking to ET in 2017. And she also suggested that Blake didn't need much advice from her, other than to cherish the little moments.
They help care for each other's children
Blake Lively doesn't just connect with her sister, Robyn Lively, over their approach to motherhood — they actually help care for each other's children. Robyn even joked to ET in 2017, "[Blake] has my children and I have her children, [and] we're like, 'No, those are my children!' She's like, 'No, your children are my children.'"
While the "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters" actor was seemingly saying that she and Blake fight over each other's kids in jest, she doubled down on their strong feelings as aunts when speaking to Fox News five years later in 2022. "I genuinely feel like her children are mine as if I gave birth to them, and vice versa," she said. She also added, "Our relationship has only gotten richer and fuller."
Robyn Lively obviously loves her nieces and was apparently ecstatic when Blake had her first child, James, back in 2016. At the time, she couldn't help but gush about how in love she was with the new baby and how adorable she was. Blake appears to be just as smitten with her nieces and nephews because she's taken many of them on some pretty cool outings. While she now keeps the children in her life private, she once highlighted Robyn's son, Baylen, in a now-deleted Instagram post. Per InStyle, Blake shared a photo of them together at a family gathering, captioning it, "Party animals."
They're close with each other's husbands, Ba\\rt Johnson and Ryan Reynolds
With how much time Blake and Robyn Lively appear to spend together, it's a good thing that they're fond of each other's husbands, too. Robyn's husband, Bart Johnson, for one, has been like one of Blake's big brothers for most of her life. In 2020, Blake shared an old photo of her and Johnson dancing when she was just a child, calling him her "original dance partner" in the caption. He seems to feel the same way about Blake — in a birthday tribute he posted for her, he wrote, "Love you to the moon little sister! My bestest buddy for almost 3 decades!!"
It seems that the famous family likes to share their love on Instagram, because that's also where Robyn Lively gushed about Blake's husband, Ryan Reynolds. She attended the American Cinematheque Awards when the "Deadpool" star was honored in 2022, and praised him in a post for being "charming, dazzling, [and] insanely talented." If that's not enough, in another interview with ET, Robyn also mentioned just how great a father Reynolds is.
While Reynolds, on the other hand, mostly posts about business or his wife on Instagram, he did get his sister-in-law, Robyn, a ton of followers on Twitter when he gave her a shoutout after she first joined in 2015. He tweeted, "Sweet, Holy, Mary Mother of Alfredo Garcia's Head... Robyn Lively has appeared in pixels and light. Give her a follow."
Robyn and Blake Lively are big on celebrating each other's birthdays
It seems that a big part of Blake Lively's relationship with her sister, Robyn Lively, is celebrating their birthdays together. In 2022, for example, the "A Simple Favor" star shared how she and Robyn went to Disneyland to kick off her 35th birthday festivities. And from the looks of Blake's Instagram post, it might have been just the two of them on that special outing.
For that same birthday, Robyn gifted Blake a very special cake with a personalized theme: Some of Blake's most famous red carpet looks. On it, per People, Robyn wrote, "Happy Birthday Sweet Sissy." Blake later shared on her Instagram Story that the cake made her "emotional." If that's not "sweet" enough, Robyn always makes the effort to write her younger sister a thoughtful birthday shoutout on Instagram. In 2022, for instance, Robyn shared a video montage of their adventures together, and then the next year she wrote to Blake, "You make my world a happier place."
Blake appears to make Robyn feel just as special when it's her birthday, like in 2022, when she escorted Robyn to the opening night of the Broadway musical, "The Music Man." The next year, she wrote a charming tribute to her big sister on Instagram. According to Daily Mail, she called Robyn her "Best. Friend. Ever," and joked, "Thank you for giving me someone to bully for life without ever having to feel guilty."
Robyn Lively supports Blake Lively at industry events
Blake Lively might be married to Ryan Reynolds, yet it seems that she prefers to take her sister, Robin Lively, as her date to most industry events. It's something she's apparently been doing as far back as 2010, when the sisters attended a phone launch party together. A year later, Blake took Robyn, along with their mom and other sister, to the premiere of "Green Lantern," even though she was reportedly dating Leonardo DiCaprio at the time.
It appears that Robyn and Blake also love to go to Fashion Week together. They've been seen holding hands and coordinating their outfits at different fashion shows in recent years. They've also attended events for their friend, jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz. In 2018, in particular, they went to the launch for a collection Blake helped design. Naturally, her older sister used the event as a chance to praise Blake, telling ET, "My sister's incredible like that. She's multi-talented."
Blake is certainly lucky to have a sister like Robyn, who doesn't mind sharing the spotlight and doesn't begrudge her success. For example, in 2017, Robyn was on hand at The People's Choice Awards, where she was exceedingly proud of Blake for winning the award for Favorite Dramatic Actress. More recently, Robyn has been supportive of Blake's business venture, Betty Buzz. In 2023, she posted Instagram photos of an event Blake's beverage company held, highlighting how grateful she was to be there.
Robyn Lively recreated a Teen Witch dance for Blake Lively's wedding
Many fans probably don't know that Robyn Lively played an integral part in her younger sister, Blake Lively, and her husband, Ryan Reynolds' 2012 wedding. That's because she performed the "Finest Hour" dance from her 1989 hit movie, "Teen Witch." "[It was] the highlight of the entire wedding," Robyn told Us Weekly, adding that she roped their brother, Eric Lively, into playing the role of Brad in her recreation of the movie sequence. Her older sister shared, "It was really pretty amazing. It's one of her favorite movies."
On top of performing the dance number, Robyn also wore a "blue tube dress with a tutu," similar to what her character, Louise Miller, had on in the film. Blake seemed to like that too because just a few years later in 2016, the star wore an outfit that was apparently inspired by that look while promoting her movie, "The Shallows." She, of course, wore her hair in big '80s curls, just like her sister, Robyn, did in the movie.
While "Teen Witch" came out when Blake was just a baby, she's not the only person in her age group to have an appreciation for the film. In 2022, Robyn even told People that to this day, it's the role she's most recognized for. "People absolutely love that film, and it's resonated with so many generations," she said. "It's so dear and beloved to me because of that."
Blake and Robyn Lively are often twinning
Blake Lively and Robyn Lively are obviously sisters and best friends, but it appears that they sometimes want to be twins too. The movie star siblings have seemingly gone out of their way to coordinate some of their outfits over the years, resulting in a few twinning moments. For example, back in 2015, they were photographed walking arm in arm in New York City, wearing matching dark skinny jeans with gray winter coats. More recently, in 2022, the stylish sisters both noticeably wore similar light-colored pencil skirts and pumps when attending a Micheal Kors fashion show.
While they obviously have similar tastes in clothing, Blake and Robyn are known for often rocking the same tousled hairstyle, as well. Cosmopolitan UK, for instance, pointed out how they had identical, wild bedhead in the photo Blake posted on her Instagram Story for Robyn's birthday in 2023. That wasn't the first time that the Lively sisters showed off their comparable messy hair because in December 2022, they both joked about their disheveled 'dos on their Instagram Stories.
In that same Instagram Story that Robyn posted, she also shared that she and Blake were wearing the same sleepwear. She wrote, (via E!), "Hey at least we FELT cute all day in our matching pjs." All in all, despite Blake and Robyn Lively not actually being twins, it's clear that they still have a remarkable connection that hasn't been fractured by fortune or fame.