Ryan Reynolds’ choice to joke about his wife Blake Lively’s controversial legal battle with Justin Baldoni has reportedly downplayed the severity of her allegations, potentially discouraging other abuse victims from speaking out, experts have warned. Blake, 37, made her first public appearance since filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, 41, last year. She attended the SNL50: The Anniversary Special with Ryan on Sunday night.
During the event, Ryan chimed into a Q&A with actresses Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, where he made a remark that seemed to reference the ongoing media frenzy surrounding his wife’s situation. Ryan said: "I have a question,” prompting Tina to respond: "Oh Ryan Reynolds, how’s it going?”. “Great - why, what have you heard?” Ryan said, seemingly referencing the storm of media attention surrounding the situation. The comment was met with laughter by the audience before he moved on to the more topical matter at hand. Ryan then asked: "You know the materials that they made the cone heads with — are those edible?".
The response from the public, however, was harsh, with many criticising the couple for using their celebrity status to regain public support after facing negative media attention. Licensed clinical social worker Shari Botwin has since spoken out against the actor for trivialising the situation. She told the Daily Mail: "Jokes about sexual harassment reinforce rape culture, and further silences victims.".
Shari added: "Reynolds may have stepped out of line by mocking his wife's lawsuit. People tend to joke about issues involving sexual violence because they are uncomfortable, or they do not understand the impact. Jokes made by Reynolds about his wife's lawsuit minimises her claims and distances Reynolds from being her partner in a situation that is Blake's alleged reality.". Blake was sat next to Ryan as he joked about their lawsuit. A body language expert has also chimed in to share her insights on Blake's reaction to the joke.
Expert Judi James explained: "Laughter is a great diffuser. We see comedy reactions as a sign of 'normality' and encouraging jokes about a public narrative that might be controversial or damaging is often used as a way of appearing self-effacing and allowing for some public tension breaking. "When Ryan stands here his initial pose is one of carefree innocence. His expression suggests a keenness to chat with his brows raised and his eyes rounded as he looks at the hosts. There is a polite, social, part-smile from his mouth as his hands are clasped in front of his torso. The gag comes in his mock mood change as he's asked 'How are you doing?' when his hands begin to wring and fall lower to a self-protective fig-leaf position. Saying 'What've you heard?' his expression becomes more wary.".
Looking at Blake's body language, Judi added: "Blake sits beside him, watching with a narrowed eye-smile and a complex mouth expression. Her lips are puckered and her 'smile' comes with a downward tilt but a small upward curl of the corners, suggesting mixed emotional responses. Her smile widens to a laugh but then as Ryan says 'What've you heard?' her smile drops and her head snaps round to look up at him with a more serious expression, making her look equally wary.".
Ryan and Blake have kept quiet about the lawsuit, where Blake accused Justin of trying to run a smear campaign against her. After their movie press tour, Blake alleged that he had sexually harassed her whilst on set. However, Justin denies the allegations and has since responded with a defamation lawsuit of his own in which he has accused Blake and Ryan of attempting to take over the movie's direction.
