As the filmmaker’s case against the actor’s wife heads for court, a source has said Justin Baldoni’s legal team may cite Ryan Reynolds’ recent joke on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in their defence against a lawsuit. Picture: Bang Showbiz
Justin Baldoni’s legal team may cite Ryan Reynolds’ recent joke on “Saturday Night Live” in their defence against Blake Lively’s “harassment” lawsuit.
The director, 40, is facing allegations of sexual harassment, extortion and defamation, brought against him by the 48-year-old ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ star’s actress wife, Blake Lively, 37, in December 2024.
But a source has now told “Page Six”, Reynold’s comments on the ‘SNL 50’ anniversary special, which saw him respond to a question with, “Great! Why, what have you heard?”, could be used to bolster Baldoni’s legal case.
A source told “Page Six”: “Justin is taking this lawsuit in all seriousness and isn’t making a public mockery out of it.
“It’s very plausible that Justin’s legal team will use this public outing to defend him.”
The lawsuit stems from Lively’s allegations Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of “It Ends With Us”, a 2024 adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel.
She accused him of attempting to “destroy” her reputation through a smear campaign, which was detailed in a New York Times article titled, “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine”.
Lively filed a formal lawsuit against Baldoni weeks later, alleging sexual harassment, breach of contract, invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress.
Baldoni has denied all accusations, countering with a $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and their PR team.
He claims the actress extorted him and took control of their film.
Baldoni, known for directing “Five Feet Apart”, has also filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against the “New York Times”, accusing the publication of “cherry-picking and altering communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead”.
A second source said Reynolds and Lively “have no regrets” about attending the “SNL 50” event, adding: “They’re glad they showed up because they have nothing to hide and no reason not to.”
The Blake v Justin case is scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.