Ryan Reynolds' ‘condescending’ TIFF red carpet moment with child reporter sparks backlash

TORONTO, ONTARIO: Ryan Reynolds has come under fire for his interaction with a young reporter on the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where he was attending the premiere of the documentary ‘John Candy: I Like Me’ on Thursday, September 4.

In a video circulating on social media, the ‘Deadpool’ star appeared to brush off the child with a quip that some viewers deemed unnecessarily harsh.

What happened on the TIFF red carpet?

The clip shows Ryan Reynolds stopping briefly when approached by the child reporter, who politely introduced himself by saying, “Hi Ryan, nice to meet you.”

The actor bent down to meet the child’s eye level but quickly cut in with the line, “Let’s skip to the question.”

Sources close to Reynolds later told Page Six that the comment was not intended to be dismissive. According to an insider, “The TIFF staff was closing the red carpet and rushing Ryan inside. They said he couldn’t stop for anymore interviews and he did, in fact, stop for the kid reporter on his own as he has spoken to him at many events.”

“He was in no way being rude,” the source insisted, explaining, “There were a lot of other reporters trying to get a question in which is why he bent down to the kid to have him ask the question.”

The controversy comes as Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, continues her high-profile legal fight with 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Justin Baldoni. She has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and claims his team orchestrated a smear campaign against her in retaliation.

Ryan Reynolds slammed as ‘rude’ and ‘condescending’ over viral clip

“There is nothing funny about this. Kids do not understand these types of ‘jokes’ where the person is being rude to them. It’s called being mean,” one user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, sharing a clip of the exchange.

Another bluntly wrote, “Ryan and Blake are so condescending and mean to people they deem 'beneath them.'"

“Talk about making a nervous kid feel more timid. Jerk!” a tweet read. 

Another commenter said Reynolds’ remark showed he was “mannerless,” while one more agreed, writing, “He really is. It’s one thing to joke with an adult but a kid won’t get what he believes are jokes.”

One lamented, “Exactly, what's funny about intimidating a child?”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.