Ryan Reynolds, 48, shocked viewers with a joke about the ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni he is fighting with his wife Blake Lively, 37, during Sunday's SNL 50th Anniversary Special.
The couple attended the star-studded celebration at New York's Rockefeller Plaza is Lively's first major public appearance in two months.
Lively had not stepped out at a red carpet event since attending the Beauty Inc Awards in December, weeks before a scandal erupted involving her It Ends with Us, co-star and director Justin Baldoni.
For Sunday's event, the couple was seated amongst entertainment icons including Steven Spielberg, Cher and Kevin Costner in the star-studded audience.
During a Q&A session hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Reynolds made light of the ongoing legal situation.
When asked "How's it going?" by the hosts, Reynolds quipped, "Great - why, what have you heard?"
Lively stepped out for the first time in months
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The joke drew nervous laughter from the audience while Lively appeared unamused by her husband's reference to their legal troubles - her facial expression instantly dropping.
Behind Reynolds and Lively, cameras caught Oscar winner Kevin Costner appearing to grimace at Reynolds' casual handling of the serious allegations.
Lively appeared concerned with her husbands joke and Costner could be seen looking disapprovingly
SNL / NBC
Viewers quickly responded to the "audacious" joke and took to social media to share their reactions.
"Whoever decided it was a good idea for Ryan Reynolds to do this needs to be fired. Why would he and Blake Lively think this was cute?" one asked.
Another slammed: "How sweet of SNL to try and do damage control for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively—but it won’t work."
However, a third shared simply: "I like Ryan Reynolds. I thought this was funny."
"The hate train has gone too far," a fourth pleaded.The legal dispute centres on allegations of sexual harassment filed by Lively against Baldoni in December 2024.
Lively's 80-page civil rights complaint accused Baldoni of body shaming and orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- Blake Lively ridiculed after social media return as she promotes new film amid Justin Baldoni legal drama
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Lively and Reynolds are involved in a messy legal battle with Baldoni
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Baldoni has denied all claims and subsequently sued the New York Times himself for libel over its reporting of Lively's allegations.
He also issued a £400million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion.
All other parties have denied the allegations made against them.
