When Blake Lively was promoting “It Ends With Us,” she faced a torrent of online criticism for appearing to minimize the film’s focus on a woman surviving domestic violence, in favor of hyping the movie up as if it were a rom-com and an opportunity for a stylish girls’ night out.
Six months later, amid a nasty legal battle with Lively’s “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni, Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, are now accused of minimizing the “serious” and “traumatic” sexual harassment she alleges that Baldoni subjected her during film’s production. Lively and Reynolds are under fire again after they appeared in a brief comedy bit on “Saturday Night Live’s” 50th-anniversary show.
Lively and Reynolds walked the red carpet ahead of the show, then sat prominently in the audience for a clearly scripted bit in which Tina Fey and Amy Poehler took questions from past “SNL” stars and guest-hosts in the crowd. In a clip from the show, Fey and Poehler called out the “Deadpool” star as he stood up: “Ryan Reynolds! How’s it going?” they asked.
In response, Reynolds poked fun at his wife’s “It Ends With Us” drama, quipping, “Great! Why, what have you heard?”
Baldoni’s attorney was among many who thought the bit was in poor taste — and that it raised a lot of questions about the couple’s obvious effort to rehabilitate their public image amid the legal drama.
“I’m unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation,” said Bryan Freedman during an interview on Billy Bush’s “Hot Mics” podcast on Monday, the New York Post reported. “I can’t think of anyone who’s done anything like that,” Freedman added. “So it surprised me.”
Other Hollywood insiders or people attending the show agreed that Reynolds’ quip was “in poor taste,” or that it could undercut Lively’s claims of being “traumatized” by her experience with Baldoni. They told Page Six that their appearance was “not a good look,” and that the couple “should have sat this one out.”
In addition to alleging that Baldoni subjected her to sexually inappropriate behavior as they filmed scenes of them playing lovers, Lively’s lawsuit also claims that the actor, his production company and his publicists orchestrated a public relations “smear campaign” against her during the movie’s August 2024 release. Lively alleges Baldoni was getting back at her for accusing him of sexual harassment during the production. She also alleges that the fierce online criticism she faced — not her minimizing the film’s domestic violence theme — was amplified online by efforts by Baldoni and his crisis PR publicists. The on-set harassment and the “smear campaign” left her reeling with “grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety,” her lawsuit alleges.
“There are days when she has struggled to get out of bed, and she frequently chooses not to venture outside in public,” Lively’s lawsuit has alleged. Baldoni, meanwhile, has vehemently denied the sexual harassment allegations, while claiming that Lively and Reynolds took control of his movie from him and worked with a publicist to damage his reputation by going to the New York Times in December with her side of the story.
A source told People after the “SNL” special that Lively was “anxious” to go to the event, but she and Reynolds “had a great time” and mingled with other celebs who were there.
“She still thought it was the perfect opportunity to ease back into the spotlight,” the source told People. “They had many friends attending, and as soon as they arrived, they received a warm welcome. It was a great event.”
But Page Six, TMZ and the Daily Mail reported that the couple’s appearance at the show drew a mix of reactions. Lively and Reynolds were “the hot topic” of conversation among guests at the show and its after-party, with one source telling TMZ that many people “avoided them.”
While Lively and Reynold both guest-hosted “Saturday Night Live” in the past, someone else was overheard saying, “Who told them to come?” TMZ also reported.
The Daily Mail cited others who saw their appearance as “cheap damage control,” while staffers reportedly were concerned that the show was being used to “endorse” the couple in the legal battle.
“Their team worked with SNL to create the joke but the truth is, people there weren’t really feeling it,” a source told the Daily Mail. “To many it felt like cheap damage control.”
“But it was included as the network knew the appearance would grab ratings and make headlines,” the source also told the Daily Mail.
The source agreed with Freedman who thought it was “weird” to make jokes about Lively’s very “serious” allegations. “It felt like Ryan desperate to stick with the funny guy act which was almost at the expense of Blake,” the source told the Daily Mail.