Ryan Reynolds 'Snubbed Gag' by 'Saturday Night Live' Writers — So He Could 'Change it For His Own About Justin Baldoni at Last Minute'
Ryan Reynolds was calling the shots when it came to his 'SNL' appearance.
Feb. 20 2025, Published 1:05 p.m. ET
Ryan Reynolds did not care for a gag thought up for him by Saturday Night Live writers on the show's 50th anniversary special, instead opting for a last-minute joke about his wife Blake Lively's rival Justin Baldoni.
The Hollywood couple and It Ends With Us director Baldoni have exchanged legal blows for months, with each attempting to get the upper hand, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Reynolds' joke on the 'Saturday Night Live' anniversary episode – with wife Blake Lively next to him – is said to have been his idea.
Wally Feresten, who has been known as "Cue Card Wally" on the iconic program since 1990, gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at the now-viral joke Reynolds made during the anniversary episode, claiming it was the actor's "idea."
During the segment, SNL vets Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were trading jokes, as the Parks and Recreation actress suddenly looked into the audience and said: "Ryan Reynolds, how's it going?"
Reynolds then replied: "Why? What have you heard?"
According to Feresten, the star had "pitched" the funny response himself.
The movie star responded 'What have you heard?' after Amy Poehler asked how he was doing.
Feresten revealed on the Australian breakfast radio show Fifi, Fev & Nick: "He had a different line in rehearsal and he pitched that [line] to replace it. So that was his idea to do it there."
He continued: "So yeah, that was his line. That was his idea to do. We wouldn't want to do anything too controversial unless they were in on it."
Following Reynolds' joke, experts were quick to slam the movie star for "poking fun" at Lively's shock claims against Baldoni.
The couple have been battling it out against 'It Ends With Us' director Baldoni for months.
Shari Botwin, LCSW and author of Thriving After Trauma: Stories of Living and Healing, believed Reynolds may have crossed a line with the gag.
"Jokes about sexual harassment reinforce rape culture, and further silences victims," she explained.
Botwin continued: "It minimizes and discredits their experience, perpetuating the idea that "no one will believe me or take me seriously.
"Joking about sexual harassment insinuates that the victim is to blame, making it even more unlikely that someone will come forward. It normalizes and excuses this type of behavior."
Manhattan therapist Jonathan Alpert also suggested the Deadpool & Wolverine star may be using humor to cope with his and Lively's current situation.
Lively first filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against It Ends With Us co-star Baldoni back in December. Baldoni would then hit back with a $400million countersuit against Lively and Reynolds.
The 41-year-old also filed a $250million libel lawsuit against the New York Times for reporting on Lively's original claims.
Lively has since claimed she has two female co-stars from the Colleen Hoover movie adaptation who are willing to back up her sexual harassment claims.
The singer has reportedly been distancing herself from former BFF Blake Lively after getting dragged into her legal mess.
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"... These victim-witnesses have given Ms. Lively permission to share their communications in the Amended Complaint as they are laid out, and they will testify and produce documents in the discovery process," a spokesperson for the A Simple Favor star said.
A judge has scheduled a trial date for both of their lawsuits for March 2026.
However, Baldoni's lawyer has hope both parties can figure out their issues before the trial.
Bryan Freedman said on the Hot Mics With Billy Bush podcast: "The question was asked about whether he would be willing to go to mediation and whether we were open to that, and our answer to that was, 'no.'
"We are not willing to do anything until Justin is cleared of being called a predator, a sexual harasser. Until that is determined to have not happened, we will be doing this..."
