A longtime Saturday Night Live employee has claimed Ryan Reynolds pitched his joke about the Justin Baldoni legal drama for the 50th anniversary special.
Over the weekend, the Deadpool actor and his wife Blake Lively made their first joint public appearance since the actress sued her It Ends with Us director and co-star for sexual harassment and retaliation - which he denies - in December.
During the 50th anniversary special on Sunday, Reynolds poked fun at the legal battle by taking part in a Q&A with hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. He raised his hand and stood up from the audience and when they asked how he was doing, he replied with a straight face, "Great. Why, what have you heard?"
On a recent appearance on the Fifi, Fev & Nick podcast, Wally Feresten, better known as Cue Card Wally, claimed that Reynolds came up with the quip himself.
"He had a different line in rehearsal and he pitched that (line) to replace it," he told the Australian breakfast radio hosts on their podcast. "That was his idea to do it."
Feresten, who has held cue cards on SNL for 35 years, continued, "We wouldn't want to do anything too controversial unless they were in on it. So yeah, that was his line. That was his idea to do it."
Reynolds has yet to comment on the claim.
Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman criticised the joke on Hot Mics with Billy Bush earlier this week.
"I'm unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation. I can't think of anyone who's done anything like that. So it surprised me," he said.
Lively amended her complaint on Tuesday, adding a new claim of defamation and two more defendants. She also alleged Baldoni made other women feel uncomfortable on the film's set.
In a statement, Freedman called the updated lawsuit "underwhelming" and filled with "unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed persons".
"Since documents do not lie and people do, the upcoming depositions of those who initially supported Ms. Lively's false claims and those who are witnesses to her own behaviour will be enlightening," he stated. "What is truly uncomfortable here is Ms. Lively's lack of actual evidence."
Baldoni is countersuing Lively and Reynolds, among others, for defamation and extortion. The case will go to trial in March 2026.
