Ryan Reynolds‘ subtle jibe at his wife Blake Lively‘s ongoing legal drama with Justin Baldoni during the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special, has sparked quite the chatter online.
The actor, who was in attendance at the 50th anniversary special with Lively, was asked how he was doing by former SNL cast members Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Reynolds replied, “Great!” before adding, “Why, what have you heard?” The comment was met with a brief, stern look from Lively, who has been embroiled in a legal battle with her co-star and director on ‘It Ends With Us’ on allegations of sexual harassment and an alleged smear campaign.
However, the little skit has seemingly ‘backfired’ on the Hollywood couple who are now facing major backlash following the joke. What began as an offhand jab quickly spiralled into a heated online debate, with many slamming the couple for making light of a sensitive situation.
Social media users expressed outrage over what they perceived as an inappropriate and ill-timed joke. One Twitter user questioned, “Who makes a joke about his wife being allegedly sexually harassed?” Others criticized SNL for allowing the moment to happen on such a major platform.
“The fact that Ryan Reynolds was just given a platform by @nbcsnl to joke about Blake Lively’s extortion and abuse of power over Justin Baldoni is disgusting. They need to be held accountable as much as BL & RR do,” one user wrote.
Many pointed out the irony of Reynolds making a joke about the controversy while being sued by Baldoni. “Blake Lively’s face says it all. She looks shook after Ryan Reynolds cracked that joke at SNL 50. The timing is wild—Justin Baldoni has a
defamation lawsuit
against both of them, and Ryan is still out here making jokes like none of this is happening? You’d think they’d be laying low, but nope. The arrogance is unreal.”
Others speculated that SNL was trying to spin the narrative in Reynolds and Lively’s favour, but that it ultimately failed. “How sweet of SNL to try and do damage control for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively—but it won’t work.”
However, while Reynolds and Lively were the focus of the controversy, actor Kevin Costner’s reaction became an unexpected highlight of the night. Clips circulating online show the ‘Yellowstone’ star appearing visibly unimpressed by Reynolds’ act. In viral videos, the actor could be seen watching the scene unfold with one eyebrow raised in suspicion, while some other Hollywood stars around him laughed at the joke.
Praising him for his stance, one wrote, “Kevin Costner’s reaction to Ryan Reynolds on SNL50 is classic. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni fiasco has spread throughout Hollywood.”
Others noted that he wasn’t the only one being disapproving of Reynolds and Lively’s diss. Many noted that celebs including Cher, Anya-Taylor Joy, Steven Speilberg and Robert DeNiro had rather grim looks and awkward expressions on their faces during the skit.
Costner’s reputation as a Hollywood veteran who has battled industry scepticism himself made him a particularly sympathetic figure in this scenario. “So proud of Kevin Costner for standing up to narcissistic bullies like Ryan & Blake. Kevin has been starring/directing/producing his own movies since he was in his 30s. He was ridiculed by the WHOLE INDUSTRY for making Dances with Wolves. If there’s anyone who knew the hardship that Justin had to go through to make his movies—it’s Kevin.”
Adding another layer to the controversy is the setting itself. Some users found it bizarre that Reynolds and Lively were attending SNL, given its connection to the actor’s ex-wife, Scarlett Johansson, and her husband, Colin Jost, who is a key figure on the show.
“The creepier part of Blake & Ryan attending SNL is that it’s the workplace of his EX WIFE & her current husband. That’s wildly unhinged to hijack the night that your ex & her new man were supposed to be the centre focus,” one netizen pointed out.
The incident has sparked debate about their involvement in the ongoing lawsuits with Baldoni and whether their public image will suffer by the time their trial comes up for hearing in 2026.