Ryan Reynolds’ Hollywood reputation is likely taking “a little bruising” nearly one month after Justin Baldoni filed a $400 defamation lawsuit against the “Deadpool” star and his wife, Blake Lively.
Reynolds and Lively were accused of attempting to hijack “It Ends With Us” and create their own narrative in the federal suit Baldoni filed just weeks after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on set of the film.
As the legal battle heats up with a recent court hearing and trial date set for March 2026, each of the actors has remained relatively low-profile in public. However, Reynolds’ social media presence of late and a surprising show of support at an A-list pal’s performance has experts questioning if the Canadian actor is picking up the pieces of the squeaky-clean image he once held in both hands.
Ryan Reynolds’ Hollywood reputation is likely taking “a little bruising” nearly one month after Justin Baldoni filed a $400 defamation lawsuit against the “Deadpool” star and his wife, Blake Lively. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
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Hours after the first court appearance in the case, where a judge ordered the stars’ legal teams to limit speaking to the press, Reynolds shared a selfie with his wife of nearly 13 years. The couple appeared to be walking through New York City streets in the smiling shot posted on his Instagram stories.
Reynolds used the 1994 Hootie &the Blowfish song, “Only Wanna Be with You,” to go along with his photo.
Ryan Reynolds shared a selfie with Blake Lively hours after the first “It Ends With Us” court hearing. (Ryan Reynolds/Instagram)
“Ryan’s ‘nicest guy in Hollywood’ aura is taking a little bruising,” Ryan McCormick, reputation management expert and managing partner at Goldman McCormick PR, told Fox News Digital. “It’s hard to fathom why both sides (and various media conglomerates with a financial stake in all three actors) would allow this prolonged legal case to be in the public eye. It is mutually-assured, reputation destruction.”
“Ryan’s ‘nicest guy in Hollywood’ aura is taking a little bruising.”
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Before their legal teams met in court Monday, Reynolds appeared in New York on Thursday to sign autographs for fans. The “Van Wilder” actor didn’t seem to have a press obligation, per social media sleuths, leaving keyboard warriors to question if he staged the “paparazzi swarm.”
On opening night of buddy Hugh Jackman’s “From New York, With Love” show at Radio City Music Hall, Reynolds took the mic and praised “The Greatest Showman” star in front of the audience: “I love this man, I care about this man. He is genuinely the best human being I know. And I have four children,” he said, per Variety.
The “Deadpool” star was accused of staging a paparazzi swarm last week by internet sleuths. (Raymond Hall)
Ryan Reynolds recently supported his friend, Hugh Jackman, at the opening night of Jackman’s Radio City Music Hall show. (Kevin Mazur)
“Ryan Reynolds has spent years cultivating an image as Hollywood’s most likable, self-aware, and business-savvy A-lister,” Alexandra LaManna, a communications advisor and former White House spokesperson, told Fox News Digital. “His connection to this legal mess, whether direct or by association, is not a great look. If this case spirals, it could chip away at his sterling reputation. Blake and Ryan have also built their brand as Hollywood’s power couple – witty, polished, and in tune with their audience – but this situation is starting to crack that image.”
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LaManna added, “The real battle here isn’t about facts, it’s about perception. And with the trial more than a year away, the longer they stay tangled in this PR fight, the worse it gets. What started as a legal dispute is turning into a messy spectacle. Neither side is winning the he-said-she-said, and the more they engage, the more exhausting they become. At this point, there’s so much noise around it that people are starting to tune out entirely; when a controversy drags on with no end in sight, everyone stops caring.”
“His connection to this legal mess, whether direct or by association, is not a great look. If this case spirals, it could chip away at his sterling reputation.”
On the day Baldoni filed his federal suit, Reynolds and his Wrexham soccer club co-owner, Rob McElhenney, announced they were part of a group that acquired the Colombian club La Equidad.
