Ryan Reynolds has thrown himself into a host of business ventures since achieving Hollywood stardom, including the purchase of newly-promoted Championship club Wrexham
Ryan Reynolds has partnered up with a Hollywood star to buy another sports team after the resounding success of Wrexham, which he co-owns with Rob McElhenney. The two actors have been instrumental in Wrexham’s meteoric rise from non-league to the Championship in just four seasons.
They became the first side in history to win three consecutive promotions in the top five leagues of English football. The fairytale rise has made Wrexham a world-renowned name, with the club just one promotion away from the lofty heights of the Premier League.
But the Canadian has now taken another bold step in his sports empire by teaming up with his close friend, Hugh Jackman. Reynolds and his Deadpool & Wolverine co-star have announced that they now own an Australian sailing team named the BONDS Flying Roos.
The rebranded team competes in the high-profile SailGP global sailing event, a competition backed by a diverse set of celebrity investors such as football superstar Kylian Mbappe, actress Anne Hathaway, F1 legend Sebastian Vettel and heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder.
Reynolds’ portfolio already includes stakes in Mexican football team Club Necaxa, Colombian side La Equidad and F1’s Alpine. But for Jackman, the endeavour marks his first foray into sports ownership.
“We’re incredibly excited to set sail together in this new adventure,” Reynolds and Jackman said in a statement. “Hugh brings a deep love for and pride in his home country as well as being an avid fan of sailing. He will also be bringing his overly clingy emotional support human along for the ride. Apologies in advance to Australia.”
The figure Reynolds and Jackman forked out for their new team hasn’t been officially revealed but it’s believed they splurged at least $50million (£37m) between them. And in light of the Wrexham co-owner’s latest business move, we delve into how he amassed his colossal fortune and those who have supported him on his journey to stardom.
Astonishing net worth
Reynolds is reported to have an eye-watering net worth of around $400m (£295m), having been named as one of Hollywood’s top earners. Forbes listed the movie star as 2024’s second highest paid actor with a whopping haul of £79m, putting him just behind Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in the fortune stakes.
Reynolds owed much of his success last year to crowd-pleasers like the Marvel blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine, while family film IF and Emmy-winning documentary Welcome to Wrexham also contributed.
Beyond his box office earnings, Reynolds has shown financial acumen with shrewd business ventures, acquiring up to a 20 per cent stake in American gin company Aviation Gin before selling it in a massive $600m (£443m) deal in 2020.
He also sold a large stake in mobile network company Mint Mobile to T-Mobile with the $1.35billion (£997m) deal seeing him pocket over $300m (£220m).
The Deadpool star has invested a considerable sum in Wrexham, with him and co-owner McElhenney reportedly splashing out over £20m of their own money on the football club since their 2020 takeover.
In 2023, an episode of Welcome to Wrexham revealed that they had lost around $12m (£8.9m) since taking over the club, with Reynolds responding by saying: “I’m going to throw up.”
Life with famous wife after Hollywood divorce
Reynolds has been married to Gossip Girl actress Blake Lively since 2012, after meeting her on the Green Lantern film set. As their romance blossomed, they quickly became one of Hollywood’s most beloved power couples, exchanging vows in a private South Carolina wedding before going on to welcome four children – James, Inez, Betty and Olin – together.
Lively has been seen attending Wrexham games at the Racecourse Ground and paid a gushing tribute to the city after they secured promotion to the Championship in April.
“Back to back to back,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “History was made. Congratulations to @wrexham_afc. I will never forget the love and elation in that town today. Thank you for sharing it with us always.”
“And to these two men, @robmcelhenney & @vancityreynolds … the love and respect that pours out of you each and together exponentially grows and creates more joy, more possibilities, more magic, more history,” the actress added. “This picture feels to me like a painting of all you do for so many, while being so present and appreciative of every moment.”
Before marrying Lively, Reynolds made headlines thanks to his relationships with some of the most famous women in show business. In 2004, he got engaged to fellow Canadian Alanis Morissette, having met the singer at Drew Barrymore’s birthday party two years earlier. They split up in 2007, with Morrissette citing the pressures of fame as a contributing factor, but they have remained close friends ever since.
Reynolds, whose romantic history in the noughties reportedly included names like Sandra Bullock, Melissa Joan Hart and Charlize Theron, soon began to date actress Scarlett Johansson. The couple married in 2008 in an intimate Vancouver ceremony.
But by 2010, they had parted ways, with the pair admitting that the relationship fell apart due to their busy schedules and a lack of quality time spent together. “We work and then go home,” the actress later admitted to Time Out. “I’d just stare at the wall for a few hours before I got to sleep.”
Friendship with Rob McElhenney
While they have overseen one of the most remarkable stories in football history together, Reynolds and McElhenney weren’t even friends when they decided to buy Wrexham, having only briefly interacted with each other online on a few occasions.
Contrary to what many believe, it wasn’t Reynolds who first had the idea to take over a football club, either. Instead, it was McElhenney who spearheaded the plans after being inspired by British comedy writer and football fan Humphrey Ker to invest in a team.
Despite not being a big football fan himself, McElhenney was captivated by Ker’s passion for Liverpool. As a result, Ker suggested he watch the Netflix series Sunderland ‘Til I Die during the coronavirus lockdown.
The show piqued the interest of the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor further, leading him to want his own football club to make his own documentary about.
After the actor determined his budget, Ker then helped him pick out some suitable candidates. Wrexham stood out to McElhenney due to the club’s history, passionate fanbase and need for new investment in the wake of the pandemic.
He then approached Reynolds, who had previously messaged him about his favourite Always Sunny scene, to secure additional funding and attach another high-profile name to the club.
Reynolds was excited by the idea and did not want to merely be a sponsor, but a co-owner alongside McElhenney. In November 2020, the pair purchased the club for £2m and the rest is history, with the duo now being very good friends despite not meeting face-to-face until April 2021.
McElhenney has since told People that Reynolds is one of his closest friends, describing him as a “kind and generous soul, and somebody you can rely on.”
Hailing the actor as a “truly inspiring person,” he added: “Our families have grown incredibly close, and even though we live on opposite coasts, we feel like we’re right next to each other.”
