Ryan Reynolds Accused Of 'Gaslighting' Justin Baldoni With Viral 'SNL50' Joke Amid Wife's Legal Drama

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively came under fire for allegedly "gaslighting" Justin Baldoni with a joke about their legal feud during the "SNL" 50th Anniversary Special.

The joke has since gone viral on social media following the event, with many individuals calling it cringe.

Reports have also claimed that Justin Baldoni's lawyer will likely use the joke against Blake Lively in court as their legal battle heats up.

Why Ryan Reynolds And Blake Lively Have Been Accused Of 'Gaslighting' Justin Baldoni

During the "SNL" 50th Anniversary Special, Reynolds sent social media abuzz when he seemed to make a joke about the ongoing feud between his wife, Lively, and her "It Ends with Us" co-star Baldoni.

Now, a source close to the situation has revealed that it feels like the couple has been "gaslighting" Baldoni all this while.

According to the insider, the joke seemed to cast aspersions on Lively's earlier claim of suffering from grief, extreme anxiety as well as trauma as a result of the fallout of being sexually harassed and defamed by the film director.

They also claim that Baldoni's lawyers will likely wield the joke during court as an Achilles' heel to weaken Lively's accusation.

"This will be used against them," the insider told the Daily Mail about the Hollywood couple.

They added, "This isn't a laughing matter and Blake has been speaking about how traumatic it's all been and how it's affected her mental health but she can still glam up, show up and laugh about it. It's sending mixed messages."

Ryan Reynolds' Joke Received Backlash Online

Ryan Reynolds during #SNL50

“Ryan how’s it going? Great… why, what have you heard?” pic.twitter.com/8a4A6NIU2D

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 17, 2025

As seen in now-viral videos from "SNL50," Reynolds' joke began with him standing up during a skit with hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to ask a question.

When the hosts noticed him, they asked, "How's it going?" to which the Deadpool star quipped, "Great—why, what have you heard?"

Many then widely interpreted this remark as a nod to his wife's ongoing legal feud with her "It Ends with Us" co-star and criticized it as being in poor taste.

Social media users also pointed out that Kevin Costner, who was seated behind Reynolds, appeared visibly uncomfortable, with a grimace on his face in reaction to the moment.

One person penned, "Ryan Reynolds and Blake lively is soooo cringe. Kevin Costner's face tells it all."

Blake Lively Recently Subpoenaed Cell Carriers And A Crisis Consultant To Get 'Receipts'

Reynold's joke comes after his wife made new moves to get "receipts" that will help her prove Baldoni allegedly launched a smear campaign against her, per Deadline.

Just after the film director shared his own version of the breakdown of their work relationship on a website, the actress sent out subpoenas to relevant parties seeking to obtain phone records that would be used as evidence in court.

The subpoenas were sent to cell carriers Cloudflare and AOL, as well as from Jed Wallace, a crisis consultant who was accused of launching a "digital army" against the actress at Baldoni's behest.

Justin Baldoni's Lawyers Says The Subpoenas Are A 'Fishing Expedition'

In response to the subpoenas, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, described them as a "massive fishing expedition" that proves the actress and her representative are "desperately seeking any factual basis for their provably false claims."

"They are asking for every single call, text, data log, and even real-time location information for the past 2.5 years, regardless of the sender, recipient, or subject matter," Freedman further revealed while noting Lively will find nothing to prove her allegations.

Since Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni, the film director has strongly denied the claims.

He has also filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against the actress, which was recently amended to include additional claims.

Meanwhile, both Lively and Baldoni have been warned against making public comments about the ongoing case by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Woman.

The trial is scheduled for March 2026 but could be moved up if the war of words between both parties continues to escalate.

How Are Blake Lively And Ryan Reynolds Handling The Legal Drama?

While Baldoni's lawyer has revealed that the actor is "financially" and "emotionally" devastated by his legal feud with Lively, a source revealed that the actress and are husband aren't doing too well either.

According to TMZ, an insider said the husband and wife duo have been left in "severe anguish" amid their legal tussle with Baldoni.

The source noted that Lively is "emotionally zapped" due to the ongoing spate of lawsuits with Baldoni and that the case has taken a "deep emotional toll" on her and Reynolds.

However, the news outlet also reports that the "Gossip Girl" star remains confident that she'll emerge victorious and is striving "to get this all buttoned up," as she believes the whole case is a "sideshow" concocted by Baldoni and his legal team.