Blake Lively Woke Up at 5 A.M. to Make Donuts With ‘Chopped’ Winner Hugh Mangum

Blake Lively tried her hand at doughnut making as she got behind-the-counter at Rise Doughnuts in Wilton, Connecticut — and she was joined by a major Food Network star.

“Never in my life have I tasted anything quite like @risedoughnut,” Lively, 37, wote via her Instagram Story on Monday, March 31, alongside a video of the sweet treats. “I would travel far and wide for these things. And maybe even get up at 5 a.m. on a Sunday to work there.”

In another clip, Lively held out a Boston Cream-flavored donut that glistened in the light. “I must know what this donut’s skincare routine is,” she quipped, setting the video to James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful.”

A third video featured Lively donning an apron and gloves as she filled donuts with a cream center. The Gossip Girl alum laughed as she stood next to Chopped winner Hugh Mangum.

“Earning my keep filling our concoction together this week: bourbon rhubarb cream cheese donut,” she wrote. “And yes that is THE @hugh_mangum of BBQ Brawl, winner of Chopped and my daughter’s favorite fact: friend of Ashley from Bake Squad. He does it all. SO WELL.”

Lively, who shares four children with husband Ryan Reynolds, also shared a video of doughnuts being dipped in icing. “I am a donut stan account,” she joked.

The Another Simple Favor star also shared a pic of the empty kitchen at 10 p.m. the night prior to baking, with ingredients spread across the countertops. By 10 a.m. Sunday morning, Lively was seen behind-the-counter of the shop. “How I spring break,” she captioned the snaps.

Before her behind-the-scenes snaps, Lively shared a pic of her own culinary creation via 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 “this is what my happy place looks like” sticker to her upload and one that read, “TBD.”

Lively’s outing comes amid her ongoing legal battle with It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni. Lively made headlines in December 2024 when she filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and conducting a “social manipulation” campaign to ruin her reputation.

Baldoni, 41, denied the allegations and fired back in his own lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, 48, and her publicist Leslie Sloane. Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have since all filed motions to be removed from Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit.

While a trial is scheduled for March 2026, attorney and legal analyst Dina Doll — who is not affiliated with the case — shared her opinion on whether Lively or Baldoni had a stronger case.

“My professional opinion, Blake Lively has a stronger case. All of Justin Baldoni’s arguments about fame and control don’t really refute her claim of sexual harassment,” Doll shares in the new ID documentary In Dispute: Lively vs. Baldoni, which premiered in the U.S. on Monday. “Those allegations, the improvising of the kissing, talking about pornography, regardless of where your workplace is, those seem to be a pretty strong basis for a claim of sexual harassment.”