Justin Baldoni's lawyer claims Ryan Reynolds mocked actor in

Ryan Reynolds made his first public appearance on Tuesday night amid Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle. Reynolds attended the National Board of Review Awards, where he introduced Wicked, named the Best Film of 2024.

Reynolds’s appearance — which included a telling comment about sexism — came as he made headlines over a deleted scene from Deadpool & Wolverine. Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman addressed the viral clip, in which Reynolds appears to be mocking Baldoni, the It Ends With Us director. Freedman also promised that, along with Lively and her publicist, “Ryan Reynolds for sure” will be named in their countersuit.

Here’s the latest in the Lively-Baldoni feud and why Reynolds is capturing headlines this week.

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Reynolds all smiles in 1st appearance since lawsuit

The 48-year-old actor, who shares four kids with Lively, stepped out in New York City on Jan. 7 to honor the cast of “Wicked.”

“‘Wicked’ is indeed wicked,” Reynolds said during his speech, according to People magazine. “It dares to center on two powerful women. It examines a nuanced, complex relationship which has resonated with people for over two decades on stage. Stories about women seem to be held to a different set of standards, and that is to say that they’re often held to the standards women are held to in life. You must be perfect. You must hide your strength. You must shape-shift or placate. But Donna Langley and Universal, they know where and with whom to place their trust, and it paid off in this film.”

It’s the first time Reynolds has been spotted in public since Lively came forward with her accusations against Baldoni on Dec. 20. The It Ends With Us actress is suing her co-star for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation and more. Baldoni has denied Lively’s “false and destructive” claims.

What is the viral Deadpool & Wolverine clip?

In the film, Reynolds plays Deadpool and a alternative version of Deadpool, called Nicepool. Nicepool wears a man bun, similar to Baldoni’s old trademark hairstyle — which seems to mock the director.

“Oh my goodness, wait til you see Ladypool,” Nicepool said of Lively’s character in the film. “She is gorgeous. She just had a baby too, and [you] can’t even tell.”

In her complaint, Lively accused Baldoni of weight-shaming her about her postpartum body.

When Reynolds’s Deadpool character told Nicepool he wasn’t “supposed to say that,” the latter replied, “That’s OK. I identify as a feminist.”

An apparent deleted scene from the film is circulating on TikTok, in which Nicepool tells Deadpool and Wolverine, “I’d be fighting alongside you, but my calling is to one day start a podcast that monetizes the women’s movement.”

Yahoo Entertainment reached out to a representative for Reynolds but did not immediately receive a response.

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Baldoni repeatedly talked about being a feminist. He launched the Man Enough podcast which “explores what it means to be a man today and how rigid gender roles have affected all people.” His co-host Liz Plank quit the podcast after Lively’s complaint.

Baldoni’s lawyer calls the scene an ‘obvious’ diss

In an interview with Megyn Kelly, whom Freedman represented in her lawsuit against NBC, he said there is “no question” the scene “relates to Justin.” The attorney said the hair bun and “the comment about the pregnancy” made it “pretty obvious what’s being done.”

“But again, if somebody is seriously sexually harassed,” he said on The Megyn Kelly Show. “You don’t make fun of it. It’s a serious issue.”

Freedman also revealed an alleged voice note from Baldoni to his team after the August premiere of It Ends With Us where he was “sent to the basement.”

On Tuesday, Lively’s lawyers issued a statement and accused Baldoni’s team of a “blame the victim” tactic.

“These concepts normalize and trivialize allegations of serious misconduct. Most importantly, media statements are not a defense to Ms. Lively’s legal claims,” the attorneys said. “We will continue to prosecute her claims in federal court, where the rule of law determines who prevails, not hyperbole and threats.”

Lively’s legal team did not return Yahoo’s request for comment on Wednesday.

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