Taylor Swift has a lot of famous friends, but her favorite couple to spend time with is seemingly her actor bestie Blake Lively and Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds. (They’ve even gone with Swift to support her football-playing beau, Travis Kelce!) Lively and Ryan are parents to four children: eldest daughter James Reynolds, middle daughter Inez Reynolds, youngest daughter Betty Reynolds, and son Olin Reynolds. James, Inez, and Betty’s godparent is Swift, and she’s a great choice given the close relationship she shares with the three Reynolds girls. Lively is always one to sing her famous friend’s praises, pointing out how great of a role model Swift is to young women.
Lively told Today, “To speak of women of multitudes and women who know how to be both strong and vulnerable, a woman who knows how to step into herself and into her story and show others what that looks like, and be an example of that and share yourself with people — I mean, that’s deeply inspiring. To see somebody doing that in their real life, it’s incredible. So I understand why she means so much to so many people. She means that much to me, as a fan, and then separately as a friend.” Based on how close they’ve gotten with Swift in their young lives, it’s likely that the Reynolds daughters feel the same as their mom and can’t get enough of their godparent Taylor. Swift has dedicated many special moments of her life and career to her godkids, proving that the connection they share is unbreakable.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ eldest was featured in a Taylor Swift song
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have tried to keep their children out of the limelight, dating all the way back to when the couple welcomed their first child. As of writing, James Reynolds has only made one public appearance alongside her parents: at almost the age of two, she appeared at her father’s Walk of Fame star dedication ceremony with her newborn sister Inez. The world became even more interested in Lively and Ryan’s oldest when Taylor Swift gave a small glimpse — or sound — of James in her music.
In November 2017, Swift dropped her sixth album “reputation.” One of the singles that released ahead of the album was “Gorgeous,” which opens with a child’s voice proudly saying the track title to kick things off. Per People, Swift revealed on Tumblr that the dedicated fans she invited to one of the “secret sessions” for a “reputation” sneak preview were told who that child was. Others who weren’t in attendance believed it could’ve been Lively and Ryan’s firstborn, James. Once the album was officially out, the rest of the world learned it was James indeed, because she got a credit in the “reputation” album booklet: “Baby intro voice by James Reynolds.”
Lively and Ryan were thrilled to hear their daughter’s voice when Swift performed the song during her “Reputation Stadium Tour.” Lively spoke about her experience attending the show and hearing James’ voice, saying to “Good Morning America,” “We were very embarrassing. … That is the true, unfiltered version of our terrible stage-parent pride” (via X, formerly Twitter).
Taylor Swift is godparent to three of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ kids
While celebrating the release of Ryan Reynolds’ movie “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Taylor Swift revealed that Blake Lively and Reynolds made her a godparent! In July 2024, Swift posted an image to her Instagram Stories of herself alongside Lively, Reynolds, “Deadpool & Wolverine” director Shawn Levy, and Reynolds’ co-star in the movie, Hugh Jackman. The “Cruel Summer” singer praised the movie, saying, “Over the past few years I have watched one of my best friends on this planet pour every bit of his heart, soul, sweat, time, energy, jokes, pain, joy, rebellion, darkness, and magic into this film. 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” (via Business Insider).
She completed the post by joking that Jackman was who she was referring to, and, “These other randoms crashed the photo and we were too polite to ask them to leave.” Her role in the Reynolds kids’ lives was confirmed at the end of the post where Swift quipped, “Shout out to Wade Wilson, aka my godkids’ sperm donor!” Speaking to Deadline a few months later, Reynolds also shared that Swift is his daughters’ godparent. Levy is godparent to the couple’s son.
Taylor Swift named a song after the youngest Reynolds daughter
In July 2020, Taylor Swift shocked the world by releasing her eighth album “folklore” by surprise. One song on the album called “betty” caused a stir as fans were convinced that Swift was revealing a secret with the track. Swift’s best friends Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds had welcomed their third child less than a year prior, but had not yet revealed the 𝓈ℯ𝓍 or the name of the new 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢. Upon hearing Swift’s album, fans were quick to notice that the song “betty” included the names of Lively and Ryan’s other two daughters, James Reynolds and Inez Reynolds. They became convinced that Swift had revealed the name of Lively and Ryan’s third child by naming the song after the newborn. Swift later confirmed this in a now-deleted clip that was shared to X, when she said, “I named all the characters in this story after my friend’s kids, and I hope you like it!” (via Us Weekly).
The two oldest Reynolds girls got to hear Swift sing their namesakes live in May 2023 when attending the Eras Tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “I named the characters after real people in my life who I love more than anything. And their names are James, Inez, and Betty,” Swift said prior to singing “betty” at the show, per USA Today. The outlet also reported that at another point in the show, Swift seemed to give James and Inez a sweet shoutout from the stage, mouthing, “Hi James! Hi Inez!” Videos emerged on social media of Swift walking backstage hand-in-hand with James after the concert while Lively held Inez in her arms.
The Reynolds family jokes about Taylor Swift revealing names in her songs
After announcing the name of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ third child in her song “betty,” it seemed as if Taylor Swift had become the go-to for revealing details about the Reynolds family. The couple welcomed their fourth child in 2023, and Reynolds joked on “The Today Show” in 2024 that, “We always wait for Taylor to tell us what the child’s name is, and I’ll say this: We’re still waiting” (via X). He sang the songstress’ praises by saying, “She’s a prolific writer.”
Reynolds has previously spoken about how his family trusts Swift and that he doesn’t have a problem with Swift including his kids’ names in her work. “The names are the names of our kids, but you know, we trust her implicitly,” explained Reynolds in an August 2021 interview with SiriusXM. “She’s very sensitive to any of that stuff, and obviously the song has nothing to do with our kids other than our kids’ names.” He concluded by calling Swift’s use of his children’s names “an honor” and insists that the family is amazed by it: “I still wander down the street and shake my head thinking, ‘I can’t believe that happened.'”
Taylor Swift is practically part of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ family
Taylor Swift established a friendship with Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds when their family was still new and growing. As the couple welcomed their four kids, Swift has proven herself to be more than just a confidante for the family, but an honorary member. She frequently spends time with the Reynolds’ and even went trick or treating with them in New York on Halloween 2021. Swift donned a large squirrel costume that made her unrecognizable, but she posted her costume proudly on social media that night.
Reynolds revealed that his kids’ relationship with Swift is so meaningful because they don’t just think of her as the A-list pop star that she is. To them, she was Aunt Taylor first. Reynolds shared in a November 2022 interview with SiriusXM, “I think what’s most exciting for them is that for the longest time they just thought Taylor’s just, like an aunt, like a friend of mommy and daddy that’s very, very close, almost family.” It was only once the kids saw Swift in concert that they realized how famous she is, Reynolds recalled.
