Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · June 27, 2025 · Entertainment

Ryan Reynolds' Veiled Insults: Tensions Rise in Lively vs. Baldoni Legal Drama

Ryan Reynolds (pictured April 23) made a thinly-veiled dig at Justin Baldoni and called that the substantial backlash that he and his canceled second wife Blake Lively have suffered amid their legal war against the 41-year-old It Ends With Us director as 'meaningless'

Ryan Reynolds Fires Back at Justin Baldoni with Sassy Remarks, Calls Criticism "Meaningless"

In a new interview with TIME100, Ryan Reynolds is speaking out against the backlash he's received amid his legal battle with Justin Baldoni. The 48-year-old actor and entrepreneur made headlines when he called Baldoni a "sexual predator" after his wife Blake Lively accused him of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us.

But Reynolds isn't letting the criticism get to him. In fact, he's dismissing it as "meaningless." When asked about the criticism he's received, Reynolds shrugged it off, saying, "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."

The Canadian 48-year-old scoffed in his TIME100 cover story Thursday: 'I can read something that says,

Reynolds went on to say that none of us are defined by our best or worst moments, but rather something in between. He also stressed the importance of core values and integrity in his business dealings, saying, "If you operate with some degree of core values and integrity, they're going to help you up. If you're an a**hole, they're not. And that's pretty simple."

But it's not just Reynolds who's speaking out against the backlash. His publicist Leslie Sloane has also come forward, saying, "Ryan is a good person who does good things. He doesn't deserve to be attacked like this."

Meanwhile, Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman is vowing to continue fighting Lively's defamation lawsuit against his client. In a statement, Freedman said, "The Court's decision on the motion to dismiss has no effect whatsoever on the truth that there was no harassment nor any smear campaign, and it does not in any way affect our vigorous defense against Ms. Lively's claims."

He continued: 'None of us are comprised of our best moments. None of us are defined by our worst moments. We are something in the middle' (pictured May 18 with Blake Lively)

As the drama continues to unfold, Reynolds is keeping busy with his production company Maximum Effort, which was honored by TIME100 for being one of the 100 most influential companies. He's also been working on a new film project, Mayday, which premieres September 19 on Apple TV+.

And in case you were wondering what Reynolds thinks about his self-worth, he says it comes from having four kids and a good marriage - nothing else that isn't under the roof of his home. That's right, folks - this guy is all about family and integrity!

TheScholarlyNote.com Exclusive: Did You Know That Ryan Reynolds' Production Company, Maximum Effort, Was Honored by TIME100 for Being One of the 100 Most Influential Companies? Stay Tuned for More Updates on This Drama-Filled Story!

Ryan's production company and marketing firm Maximum Effort was honored by the magazine for being one of 'the 100 most influential companies,' but he doesn't feel like his business has been badly impacted by the lawsuits

Reynolds noted: '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 a**hole, they're not. And that's pretty simple' (pictured April 29)

The self-described 'people pleaser' stressed that his self-worth 'comes from having four kids and a good marriage' and nothing else 'that isn't under the roof of my home' (pictured April 24)

Ryan had called Justin a 'sexual predator' because his 37-year-old wife alleged she was sexually harassed by him on the set of It Ends with Us in the complaint she filed with the California Civil Rights Department complaint on December 20 (pictured in 2024)

On June 9, federal Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Justin and his Wayfarer Studios parties' $400M countersuit against Reynolds, Lively, and her publicist Leslie Sloane alleging civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy (pictured December 9)

Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman (pictured May 9) missed Monday's deadline to amend four of their seven original claims against the Gossip Girl alum, who has already declared victory

Behind the scenes, none of the major talk show hosts - Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver - have cracked a joke about the Lively-Baldoni case after Reynolds' company Mint Mobile was one of two sponsors for their 2023 podcast, Strike Force Five (pictured in 2023)

The Kwantlen Polytechnic University drop-out - who sold Mint Mobile to T-Mobile for $1.35B in 2023 - co-owns or has sold companies valued at over $14B, and Forbes ranked him the second highest earning actor of 2024 with $85M (pictured May 6)