Being a celebrity is a tricky thing, especially when there's controversies or negative press that surrounds you. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively likely know this all too well, as they've been in a very public legal battle with It Ends With Us director/actor Justin Baldoni for months. And the Deadpool icon recently spoke about what it's been like seeing the discourse online, as well as if its affected his various business ventures.
Following Lively's original lawsuit against Wayfarer Studios, Reynolds was named in Baldoni's defamation countersuit. Luckily for the actor, Baldoni's case was recently thrown out by a judge, where he and Lively were being sued for a whopping $400 million. While speaking with Time for Most Influential Companies 2025, Ryan Reynolds spoke about what it's been like seeing the response to this legal saga. In his words:
I can read something that says, ‘He should be drawn and quartered.' I could read something that says 'I should win a Nobel Prize.' Both are meaningless. None of us are comprised of our best moments. None of us are defined by our worst moments. We are something in the middle.
While he didn't name Baldoni or go into the specifics of the case(s), it seems clear that the Free Guy actor has seen all of the chatter on social media. That includes the uglier corners of the internet, which wanted to see the end of his and Blake Lively's careers.
The discourse about the situation has been hot, especially as Lively and Reynolds appeared on SNL 50 and began promoting projects like Another Simple Favor (streaming with an Amazon prime subscription). In the same interview, Reynolds was specifically asked if any of his businesses were negatively impacted by the drama, and he said:
Accessibility and accountability are a big part of how I do things. The people that I work with know me, so there’s never a question of anything like that. If you operate with some degree of core values and integrity, they’re going to help you up. If you’re an asshole, they’re not. And that’s pretty simple.
We've heard quite a bit about "cancel culture" in recent years, but it sounds like Ryan Reynolds and his partners are secure. And he credits accountability and integrity in helping to ensure his business weren't hurt by the ongoing situation with Justin Baldoni and It Ends With Us.
The stakes certainly felt high for that particular legal battle, especially when Baldoni's countersuit wanted $400 million. It remains to be seen if/how it influences the careers of those involved. While Lively and Reynolds have projects on the 2025 movie release list and beyond, the It Ends With Us director seemingly doesn't have any upcoming gigs listed.
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