Ryan Reynolds made his first public appearance Tuesday night amid the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Reynolds attended the National Board of Review Awards, where he gave an introduction Badnamed Best Film of 2024.
Reynolds’ appearance – which included a telling comment about sexism – came as he made headlines over a deleted scene from Deadpool and Wolverine. Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman addressed the viral clip, in which Reynolds appears to mock Baldoni, the It ends with us director. Freedman also promised that, along with Lively and her publicist, “Ryan Reynolds will definitely” be named in their countersuit.
Here’s the latest on the Lively-Baldoni feud and why Reynolds is making headlines this week.
Reynolds is all smiles in first appearance since trial
The 48-year-old actor, who shares four children with Lively, stepped out in New York City on Jan. 7 to honor the cast of “Wicked.”
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“‘Wicked’ is indeed bad,” Reynolds said during his speech, according to People magazine. “It dares to focus on two powerful women. It explores a nuanced, complex relationship that has resonated with people on stage for more than twenty years. Stories about women seem to be held to a different set of standards, and that is, they You often have to adhere to the standards that women have to live by in life. You must hide your strength. But Donna Langley and Universal know where and in whom to put their trust. And it paid off in this movie.”
It is the first time Reynolds has been seen in public since Lively went public with her allegations against Baldoni on December 20. It ends with us actress is suing her co-star for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation and more. Baldoni has denied Lively’s “false and destructive” claims.
What is the viral Deadpool and Wolverine clamp?
In the film, Reynolds plays Deadpool and an alternate version of Deadpool called Nicepool. Nicepool wears a man bun, similar to Baldoni’s old signature hairstyle, which the director appears to be mocking.
“Oh my god, wait until you see Ladypool,” Nicepool said of Lively’s character in the film. ‘She’s beautiful. She just had a baby too, and [you] can’t even say.”
In her complaint, Lively accused Baldoni of shaming her about her postpartum body.
When Reynolds’ Deadpool character told Nicepool he “wasn’t allowed to say that,” the latter responded, “That’s okay.” I identify as a feminist.”
An apparently deleted scene from the film is circulating on TikTok, in which Nicepool tells Deadpool and Wolverine, “I would fight alongside you, but my calling is to one day start a podcast that makes money from the women’s movement.”
Yahoo Entertainment reached out to a representative for Reynolds but did not immediately receive a response.
Baldoni repeatedly talked about being a feminist. He launched the Man enough podcast that “explores what it means to be a man today and how rigid gender roles have affected all people.” His co-host Liz Plank quit the podcast after Lively’s complaint.
Baldoni’s attorney calls the scene an “obvious” diss
In an interview with Megyn Kelly, who represented Freedman in her lawsuit against NBC, he said there is “no doubt that the scene” is related to Justin. The lawyer said the bun and “the comment about the pregnancy” made it “pretty clear what is being done.”
“But again, if someone is seriously sexually harassed,” he further said The Megyn Kelly Show. ‘You don’t joke about it. It’s a serious issue.’
Freedman also revealed an alleged ballot letter from Baldoni to his team after the August premiere of It ends with us where he was “sent to the cellar”.
On Tuesday, Lively’s attorneys issued a statement accusing Baldoni’s team of a “blame the victim” tactic.
“These concepts normalize and trivialize allegations of serious misconduct. Most importantly, media statements do not constitute a defense to Ms. Lively’s legal claims,” the lawyers said. “We will continue to pursue her claims in federal court, where the rule of law determines who prevails, not exaggerations and threats.”
Lively’s legal team did not respond to Yahoo’s request for comment on Wednesday.
