Blake Lively Surprises Fans by Working Behindthe Counter at a Conn. Donut Shop: ‘She Was in a Really Happy Mood’ (Source)

The actress made a stop at the pastry place on March 30 amid her ongoing legal battle surrounding ‘It Ends with Us’

Nicholas Rice is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to staff positions. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers.

Blake Lively at Rise Doughnuts.

Blake Lively is in her self-described “happy place.”

The actress, 37, surprised fans by working behind the counter at a donut shop in Connecticut on Sunday, March 30.

“Baking with genius food friends and their kitchen mixer the size of a car,” Lively wrote alongside a photo of the kitchen tool on her Instagram Stories, adding, “This is what my happy place looks like.”

A source tells PEOPLE that Lively “was in a really happy mood” during the visit “and said she is friends with the owner” of Rise Doughnuts in Wilton.

At one point during the visit, a father and son chatted with Lively, and the dad told his child, “Her husband is Deadpool,” referring to Ryan Reynolds’ popular role as the Marvel character.

Blake Lively’s Instagram Stories post.Blake Lively/Instagram

Lively has highlighted her love of baking in the past and has shared many of her culinary creations with fans in posts on social media.

Earlier this year, Reynolds, 48, tagged his wife in a post on his Instagram Stories that showed off dog-inspired cupcakes seemingly crafted by the actress.

Soundtracked with Rosemary Clooney’s version of “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window,” Reynolds’ picture of the treats showed six cupcakes on a platter, each decorated with frosting to resemble dogs.

The actor — who shares four children with Lively: daughters James, 10, Inez, 8, and Betty, 5, plus son Olin, 2 — also added animated dog and baking stickers to the Instagram post.

Blake Lively at Rise Doughnuts.

Lively’s daytime outing at the sweet shop this weekend came amid her ongoing legal battle surrounding her film, It Ends with Us, which premiered in August 2024.

Late last year, Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against director and costar Justin Baldoni, as well as film producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios co-founder Steve Sarowitz and others.

She accused them of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign to damage her reputation.

In response, Baldoni, 41, filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm Vision PR Inc., as well as a lawsuit against The New York Times regarding the outlet’s reporting on Lively’s allegations.

The former costars have been embroiled in a legal back-and-forth in the months since, and their trial is scheduled for a year from now on March 9, 2026.