Blake Lively Rising Early at 5 A.M. to Create Donuts with a Chopped Champion
Blake Lively took a turn at doughnut making as she stepped behind the counter at Rise Doughnuts in Wilton, Connecticut, accompanied by a notable Food Network star.
“I have never experienced anything quite like @risedoughnut,” Lively, 37, shared on her Instagram Story on Monday, March 31, posting a video showcasing the delectable treats. “I would go anywhere for these. I might even wake up at 5 a.m. on a Sunday just to work there.”
In another clip, Lively showcased a Boston Cream-flavored doughnut shining in the light. “I need to know this donut’s skincare routine,” she joked, with the video set to James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful.”
A third video featured Lively wearing an apron and gloves as she filled doughnuts with cream. The Gossip Girl star laughed next to Chopped champion Hugh Mangum.
“Earning my keep filling our creation this week: bourbon rhubarb cream cheese donut,” she wrote. “And yes, that’s THE @hugh_mangum from BBQ Brawl, the winner of Chopped and my daughter’s favorite fact: friend of Ashley from Bake Squad. He does it all, and so well.”
Lively, who has four children with husband Ryan Reynolds, also posted a video of doughnuts being dipped in icing. “I am a donut stan account,” she quipped.
The Another Simple Favor actress also shared a photo of the empty kitchen at 10 p.m. the night before baking, with ingredients scattered across the countertops. By 10 a.m. Sunday morning, Lively was seen behind the shop counter. “How I spring break,” she captioned the photos.
Prior to her behind-the-scenes posts, Lively shared a picture of her own culinary creation on her Instagram Story on Saturday, March 28.
“Baking with genius food friends and their kitchen mixer the size of a car,” Lively wrote, adding a sticker reading “this is what my happy place looks like” alongside one that read, “TBD.”
Lively’s outing coincides with her ongoing legal dispute with It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Lively garnered attention in December 2024 when she filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, claiming sexual harassment and alleging he ran a “social manipulation” campaign to damage her reputation.
Baldoni, 41, has denied the allegations and has filed a counter lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, 48, and her publicist Leslie Sloane. Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane have filed motions to be dismissed from Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit.
While a trial is scheduled for March 2026, attorney and legal analyst Dina Doll — who is not involved in the case — provided her insights on whether Lively or Baldoni has a stronger argument.
“In my professional opinion, Blake Lively has a more compelling case. Justin Baldoni’s defenses regarding fame and control do not effectively counter her claims of sexual harassment,” Doll stated in the new ID documentary In Dispute: Lively vs. Baldoni, which premiered in the U.S. on Monday. “The allegations regarding unsolicited kissing and discussions of pornography, irrespective of the workplace setting, form a robust basis for a sexual harassment claim.”
