Did Ryan Reynolds Design Joke Over Wife Blake Lively's Feud With Justin Baldoni? SNL 50 Staffer Says 'That Was His...'

A longtime SNL staffer claimed Ryan Reynolds came up with the joke about his wife Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal drama during the SNL 50 special. Read on to know more.

Written by Sakina Kaukawala , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Feb 20, 2025 | 03:58 PM IST | 26.7K

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively (via Getty Images)

Ryan Reynolds was reportedly the one who came up with the joke about his wife Blake Lively’s legal dispute with Justin Baldoni during the SNL 50 anniversary special.

The claim came from Wally Feresten, a longtime cue card staffer for Saturday Night Live, who spoke about it on the Fifi, Fev and Nick podcast on Tuesday.

“He had a different line in rehearsal and he pitched that to replace it,” Feresten said, stating that Ryan Reynolds suggested the joke himself. “That was his idea.”

Feresten also mentioned that the show’s team is careful about involving stars in jokes like this. “We wouldn’t want to do anything too controversial unless they were in on it,” he added. However, a source close to Reynolds denied the claim when speaking to The Post. NBC also dismissed the claim as per Page Six.

Reynolds attended the SNL 50 anniversary show with Blake Lively. The couple was seated in the audience when Reynolds joined Tina Fey and Amy Poehler during a segment.

Fey greeted him with, “Ryan Reynolds! How’s it going?” Reynolds replied with a joke that hinted at the legal drama involving Baldoni. “Great! Why? What have you heard?” he said.

Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, shared his reaction to the joke during an appearance on the Hot Mics with Billy Bush podcast on Monday.

Freedman said he was not aware of anyone whose wife had experienced sexual harassment and then made jokes about it. He added that he could not think of anyone who had done something like that, which is why the situation surprised him.

A source told Page Six that Baldoni’s legal team might use Reynolds and Lively’s public appearance and joke in their defense. The source said that Justin is taking this lawsuit very seriously and isn’t making a public mockery out of it.