Ryan Reynolds Makes First Late Night Appearance Since Lawsuit
Ryan Reynolds recently participated in his first television interview following his wife Blake Lively’s legal dispute with It Ends With Us director and co-star, Justin Baldoni.
The Deadpool & Wolverine actor, 48, appeared on the episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that aired on Monday, May 12. During Colbert’s charming “Rescue Dog Rescue” segment, Reynolds held puppies and joined the host, 61, to discuss the upcoming season 4 of Welcome to Wrexham, which is set to return to FX on Thursday, May 15. This docuseries captures the ups and downs of Wrexham A.F.C., the Welsh football club that Reynolds co-owns.
“It’s chaos,” he remarked about attending his team’s matches. “It’s the thrill and joy that feels almost unbelievable in the world we live in now, a digital hate tank.”
The actor celebrated “concerts, sports, movies, and places that bring us together” as essential for building community. He chose not to comment on his and Lively’s ongoing legal issues with Baldoni.
Earlier that same day, Reynolds appeared on the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” where he similarly abstained from discussing the Lively-Baldoni conflict.
Since December 2024, when Lively alleged that Baldoni, 41, sexually harassed her, created a “hostile work environment,” inflicted “severe emotional distress,” and initiated a supposed smear campaign against her, both Reynolds and Lively, 37, have maintained a lower profile. Baldoni has strongly denied the accusations.
Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively, Reynolds, and her publicist in January, alleging civil extortion, defamation, invasion of privacy, and more. Lively and Reynolds refuted the claims, while Lively’s publicist sought to be removed from the suit.
In March, Reynolds moved to dismiss Baldoni’s lawsuit. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Reynolds’ legal team contended that Baldoni’s case “does not identify a single allegedly defamatory statement” made by Reynolds.
Hollywood has been vocal about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s continuing legal disputes regarding It Ends With Us. “In times like these, it’s essential to have distractions, and I want to express my gratitude to Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively,” Chelsea Handler joked…
“The entirety of Mr. Baldoni’s case seems to hinge on Mr. Reynolds supposedly labeling Mr. Baldoni a ‘predator’ in private. However, this doesn’t constitute defamation unless it can be shown that Mr. Reynolds didn’t believe that statement to be accurate,” said Reynolds’ attorneys, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, in a statement to Us. “The complaint lacks such allegations, suggesting the opposite—that Mr. Reynolds genuinely believes Mr. Baldoni is a predator.”
The statement continued: “Mr. Reynolds’ wife has accused Mr. Baldoni—both privately and in multiple complaints—of sexual harassment and retaliation. Notably, Mr. Baldoni has openly discussed his history of mistreating women and pushing the boundaries of consent. Mr. Reynolds has a First Amendment right to express his opinions regarding Mr. Baldoni, which should be reassuring for those who have labeled Ms. Lively and Mr. Reynolds as ‘bullies’ over the past year.”
Following Reynolds’ motion to dismiss, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told Us that Reynolds “played a central role in the alleged conspiracy, defaming Justin throughout Hollywood and persuading WME to drop Justin as a client in an attempt to sabotage his career.”
Freedman commented, “Mr. Reynolds is now trying to minimize clearly valid claims to mere ‘hurt feelings,’ sending a blatant message that bullying is tolerated. After igniting this situation, Mr. Reynolds is attempting to escape the repercussions. This will not succeed. The Wayfarer Parties’ claims against him are both legitimate and serious.”
The statement from Baldoni’s legal team argued, “The complaint thoroughly outlines facts supporting the Wayfarer Parties’ allegations against Reynolds, based on both his direct actions and his culpability as a co-conspirator.”
A spokesperson for Reynolds addressed the filing in a statement to Us at that time.
“The key takeaway from the Wayfarer Parties’ response to Ryan’s motion to dismiss is their realization of the basic flaws in their complaint. They continue to assert defamation without identifying who was defamed, what was specifically said, or how anyone suffered actual harm.”
The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni is scheduled for trial in May 2026.
