Ryan Reynolds’ Justin Baldoni joke at ‘SNL 50’ was ‘his idea’
In on the joke.
Ryan Reynolds’ joke about his and Blake Lively’s legal battle with “It Ends With Us” director Justin Baldoni during the “SNL” 50th anniversary special was his idea, says the show’s cue card guy.
The “Deadpool & Wolverine” star, 48, surprised viewers when he alluded to the ongoing drama an hour into “SNL 50: The Anniversary Special” on Sunday night in a segment where Tina Fey and Amy Poehler took questions from the star-studded audience in Studio 8H.
“Ryan Reynolds, how’s it going?” Poehler, 53, asked.
Reynolds retorted: “Why? What have you heard?”
On Tuesday, veteran “SNL” cue card guy Wally Feresten, aka “Cue Card Wally,” revealed that the joke was entirely Reynolds’ idea.
“He had a different line in rehearsal and he pitched that [line] to replace it,” Feresten said in an interview with Australian breakfast radio show “Fifi, Fev & Nick” when asked whether the quip was an improv on the “Free Guy” star’s part or if it was scripted.
“So that was his idea to do it there,” Feresten 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.”
Neither Feresten nor Reynolds immediately responded to The Post’s requests for comment. However, a source close to the actor denied the claims, as did NBC.
The day after the “SNL” 50th anniversary special aired, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman responded to Reynolds’ joke, saying it “surprised” him.
“I’m unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation,” Freedman told Billy Bush on his “Hot Mics” podcast Monday.
“I can’t think of anyone who’s done anything like that,” he added. “So it surprised me.”
Freedman also characterized Reynolds’ quip as “the latest move” in his and Lively’s legal war with Baldoni.
Before his on-air comedic bit, Reynolds and Lively walked the “SNL 50” red carpet, marking their first major appearance since the legal drama with Baldoni kicked off.
Lively sued her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director last December, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a public smear campaign against her.
The “Jane the Virgin” actor has denied all Lively’s accusations and countersued her and Reynolds, alleging defamation, extortion and more. Both stars have denied the other’s claims.
On Wednesday, Lively filed an amended version of her complaint against her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, alleging that she “was not alone in raising allegations of on-set misconduct.”
Lively’s legal team also updated their filing to include a “new claim of defamation” against Baldoni.
Freedman denied Lively’s accusations in the amended suit, telling The Post, “Her underwhelming amended complaint is filled with unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed persons who are clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims.”
