Forget the red carpets and the scandal headlines — this week’s biggest celebrity news is coming from two of Hollywood’s most low-key power couples, and it’s all heart. Selena Gomez rang in her 34th birthday with a homemade pasta-making trip to Italy, while Ryan Reynolds paused his San Diego Comic-Con weekend, mid-Deadpool costume, to FaceTime his wife and youngest son. Here’s a full breakdown of both stories, why fans can’t stop talking about them, and what they reveal about how these celebrity marriages actually work behind the scenes.
Selena Gomez Turns 34 in Italy With Benny Blanco
Selena Gomez, born July 22, 1992, celebrated her 34th birthday this week, and instead of a splashy Hollywood party, she and husband Benny Blanco opted for something far more personal: a romantic getaway to Italy built around a private cooking class.
No Party, Just Pasta
Rather than throwing a lavish bash, the newlyweds — who married in September 2025 — marked the milestone birthday by rolling up their sleeves in an Italian kitchen. Blanco documented the outing on social media, showing the pair working through a full homemade menu together, including fresh pasta, stuffed squash blossoms, and eggplant parmesan. Blanco couldn’t stop raving about his wife’s cooking, calling the eggplant dish one of the best things he’d eaten on the trip.
The choice to spend her birthday learning to make pasta rather than attending a star-studded event fits a pattern fans have noticed with the couple: since going public with their relationship in December 2023, Gomez and Blanco have consistently leaned into low-key, homebody-style romance over flashy displays.
Birthday Photos and a Message About Giving Back
Gomez also shared her own birthday post from the trip, posting photos from the celebration alongside a caption reflecting on the milestone. Blanco jumped into the comments to confirm he was behind the camera for several of the shots, adding a few playful, affectionate notes of his own.
Notably, Gomez used the moment to point followers toward the Rare Impact Fund, the mental health initiative tied to her Rare Beauty brand — a reminder that even her most personal milestones tend to circle back to the causes she champions.
Why This Story Is Resonating
Gomez and Blanco’s relationship has been closely tracked by fans since their December 2024 engagement (marked by a famously casual Taco Bell picnic proposal) through their September 2025 wedding and their joint album, which chronicled their relationship in their own words. A quiet Italian birthday trip is the latest chapter in a love story fans have followed for years — and it’s generating strong search interest precisely because it continues that low-key, authentic narrative rather than a manufactured celebrity moment.
Ryan Reynolds FaceTimes Blake Lively and Son Olin — In Full Deadpool Costume — at Comic-Con 2026
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Ryan Reynolds gave fans a different kind of sweet family moment. While attending San Diego Comic-Con 2026 in a denim reimagining of his Deadpool costume, Reynolds took a break to FaceTime his wife, Blake Lively, and their three-year-old son, Olin.
The FaceTime Heard Around the Internet
Lively shared a screenshot of the call on her Instagram Story on July 26, showing Reynolds grinning into the camera while still in character, mask and all. On her end, Olin was curled up in bed in green pajamas, being read a superhero book, when his dad’s face popped up on the screen. Lively’s caption played up the timing of the interruption, joking about getting a surprise call from Dad mid-story time.
The couple, who share four children — daughters James, Inez, and Betty, plus son Olin — are famously private about their kids, so any glimpse of a family moment, even a blurred-out FaceTime screenshot, tends to go viral instantly.
Reynolds’ Full Comic-Con Weekend
The FaceTime call was just one part of a bigger weekend for Reynolds. He also made a surprise solo appearance at the Marvel Studios panel, still in his all-denim “Jeanpool” look, jokingly lobbying to be written into Avengers: Doomsdaydespite the film having already wrapped filming. He was reportedly also spotted walking the convention floor incognito, taking photos with unsuspecting fans and cosplayers before revealing himself at the panel.
A Quiet Counter-Note to Recent Headlines
Reynolds’ lighthearted Comic-Con weekend also arrived a few weeks after Lively and her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni publicly addressed their long-running legal dispute. Against that backdrop, the playful FaceTime moment read to many fans as a deliberate, low-drama contrast — a reminder that, out of the spotlight, the couple’s day-to-day is built around ordinary family routines like bedtime stories and video calls.
Why These Two Stories Are Trending Together
Both stories are landing with audiences for a similar reason: they show two of the most-photographed couples in Hollywood choosing intimacy over spectacle. Gomez and Blanco skipped the party for a home-cooked meal; Reynolds broke away from a massive fan convention for a three-minute video call with his toddler. In an entertainment news cycle otherwise dominated by legal battles, breakups, and scandal, these stories offer something rarer — a look at what stable, long-term celebrity relationships actually look like day to day.
FAQ
How old did Selena Gomez turn on her 2026 birthday? Gomez turned 34 on July 22, 2026.
Are Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco married? Yes. The couple married in September 2025 after getting engaged in December 2024.
How many kids do Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have? The couple share four children: daughters James, Inez, and Betty, and son Olin.
What Marvel movies is Ryan Reynolds’ Comic-Con appearance tied to? His appearance came during a Comic-Con weekend that also featured major news on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday.
This article reflects celebrity news reported as of late July 2026. Details are drawn from public social media posts and entertainment news coverage.