Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has admitted he was ‘surprised’ to hear Ryan Reynolds seemingly alluding to his wife’s legal battle during his Saturday Night Live appearance.
The red carpet at the Rockefeller Center drew a slew of celebrities last weekend, all of whom had come out in force to celebrate the 50th anniversary of SNL.
Emma Stone was there with popcorn in her pockets, Sabrina Carpenter joined Pedro Pascal for a comedy sketch, and David Byrne teamed up with Robyn for a rendition of her track ‘Dancing On My Own’.
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Lively, 37, and Reynolds, 48, were also in attendance despite both being embroiled in a legal battle with It Ends with Us’ Baldoni, 41.
Late last year, the Gossip Girl alumna accused the Jane the Virgin star of ‘severe and serious emotional distress’ on the set of the 2024 flick.
She also alleged that Baldoni exhibited overly-sexualised behaviour towards her and he later orchestrated a ‘smear campaign’ against her.
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Baldoni - who served as Lively’s co-star and directed the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name - submitted a countersuit which included alleged text messages, emails and footage claiming the actors behaved with ‘mutual respect and professionalism’ on the movie set.
Amid the ongoing legal battle, Lively and Reynolds elected to attend SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration in New York on Sunday evening (February 16).
As well as walking and posing for photos on the red carpet, the Deadpool & Wolverine actor took part in a live bit with hosts 30 Rock’s Tina Fey and Parks and Recreation’s Amy Poehler.
The Canadian stood up in the crowd and was asked by Fey ‘how it was going’.
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“Great, why? What have you heard?” he responded, allegedly alluding to the lawsuit in which he and his wife are named.
Lively, who was laughing at first, seemed to drop her expression when the Green Lantern favorite made a subtle reference to their legal battle before swiftly moving on.
In response to the viral moment, Baldoni’s lawyer, Brian Freedman, has made his thoughts on the segment known.
“I’m unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation,” Freedman said during an episode of Hot Mics with Bill Bush.
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“I can’t think of anyone who’s done anything like that. So it surprised me.”
A body language expert has also had their say on Lively’s reaction to Reynold’s thinly-veiled dig.
“Blake's smile as she sits beside him suggests she gets the joke that is coming, although her expression is complex,” Judi James told UNILAD.
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“Her eyes narrow in an eye smile but her mouth smile involves some puckering around the lips to suggest suppression, but she soon smiles broadly, showing her teeth.
“Ryan's punchline prompts a quick change of mood for her though. Her smile drops and her head snaps round and up to look at his face in what is likely to be mock concern here.”
Discussing the Wrexham FC owner’s demeanour, James claimed: “Self-effacing humor can be the perfect tension-breaker, and Ryan uses it here in the face of all the recent events.
“He begins by adopting a keen, boyish facial expression with his brows raised and eyes rounded, plus a polite smile on his face.
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“His hands are clasped in front of his torso with a comedy shy, nervous wringing action but, asked how he is, his reaction sounds and looks mock-paranoid, with his clasp dropping lower, into the self-protective fig leaf pose, wringing more emphatically, as he asks 'Why? What have you heard?'”
LADbible Group has contacted representatives of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Justin Baldoni, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Film and TV, Saturday Night Live
Ella Scott