'SNL' called out for aiding Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively in damage control amid Justin Baldoni drama

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Ryan Reynolds quipped about his wife Blake Lively's legal dispute with 'It Ends With Us' co-star Justin Baldoni in a spoof during 'SNL 50: The Anniversary Special' on Sunday, February 16.

The Hollywood couple appeared on the red carpet for Sunday's 'SNL' 50th anniversary special. They made their first red carpet appearance since beginning a legal battle with the 'It Ends With Us' director/actor, per the New York Post.

Ryan Reynolds refers to Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's drama during 'SNL50' skit

The 'Deadpool' star, 48, made reference to the ongoing legal turmoil in a segment when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler fielded questions from the star-studded crowd in Studio 8H one hour into the show.

Fey simply said, "How's it going?" to Reynolds, who was sitting in the audience next to Lively, 37, when he got up to ask a question.

"Great - why, what have you heard?" the 'Deadpool' star deadpanned, referring to the months of news about the problematic production of the summer hit 'It Ends with Us.'

Lively and Reynolds were joined by a long list of other celebrities at the gala honoring the 50th anniversary of the NBC show, including former cast members such as Kristen Wiig, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Bill Murray, Chris Rock, David Spade, Leslie Jones, and Jon Lovitz, per Daily Mail.

The remark followed a $400 million lawsuit filed by Baldoni, against Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane's public relations firm Vision PR, Inc on grounds of defamation, civil extortion, and other offenses.

Baldoni, 41, also filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times over an article published in December that said he and his staff had launched a smear campaign against the 'Gossip Girl' alum, per People.

Internet users slam 'SNL' for allowing Ryan Reynolds to joke about ongoing legal woes

Online users took to X (formerly Twitter) to slam the NBC show for allowing Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's spoof about Justin Baldoni's legal drama during the show's anniversary special broadcast.

One X user said, "How sweet of SNL to try and do damage control for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively—but it won’t work. #SNL50"

A second user ranted, "The SNL 50th was a pretentious letdown, showing how out of touch they are with everyday Americans by serving up inside jokes for Hollywood's elite. Proof? Unfunny skits and inviting Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds, who've been called out for their egos, instead of poking fun at them. Where's the spirit of Norm, Eddie, Dan, and Farley from SNL's golden era?"

"Usually I like when people make light of things … but not this time. Ryan & Blake are DONE - get over it," remarked a third user.

Another seethed, "That’s gross that they allowed that. But is this him distancing himself from his wife and dropping all on her to try to save his career ? #BlakeLively"

One user said, "Joking about it publicly meanwhile they are filing lawsuits left and right behind the scenes is crazy work."

"Why is no one showing the rest of the sketch did he just sit down after this or ??" wondered another.

One remarked, "Bad move SNL. These two deserve to be shunned not given the limelight."

"Pulling out all the stops! Just realized it was their 50th big milestone," remarked another.

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