Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Endorses Wild Internet Theory About Ryan Reynolds

Justin Baldoni’s attorney suggested that Ryan Reynolds took a veiled dig at his client during a scene in the recently released film Deadpool and Wolverine, fanning the flames of an internet theory currently making the rounds.

Bryan Freedman, who is representing Baldoni in his suit against the New York Times for a report they published on an ongoing feud between Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, and Baldoni, claimed during an appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show Tuesday that “there’s no question” Reynolds was mocking his client.

“What Ryan Reynolds has seemingly done is use his power and influence to not only help Blake Lively take over [It Ends with Us] but he’s used it on Deadpool and to make fun of Justin Baldoni,” Freedman told Kelly.

The scene in question involves Deadpool (Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) meeting an iteration of Deadpool called “Nicepool” for the first time, who quickly trumpets his “feminist” bona fides.

“Oh my goodness, wait until you see Ladypool. She is gorgeous,” Nicepool, who dons a man bun, says in the film. “She just had a baby, too, you can’t even tell.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to stay that,” Deadpool replies, prompting Nicepool to say, “That’s OK. I identify as a feminist.”

Throughout his career, Baldoni has regularly identified himself as a feminist and has helmed several projects built on the exploration of gender dynamics. In 2017, he presented a Ted Talk where he explained why he’s done trying to be “man enough” and told the crowd: “I believe that as men, it’s time we start to see past our privilege and recognize that we are not just part of the problem ... Fellas, we are the problem.”

He also hosts a podcast titled Man Enough that explores “what it means to be a man today” and how masculinity affects subjects like body image, relationships, and fatherhood, per its website.

On her show Tuesday, Kelly broached the topic by suggesting that Reynolds acts like Baldoni in the scene—specifically a version of Baldoni that “turned me off.”

She then asked Freedman “what he made” of the scene after playing the clip.

“What I make of that is that if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of Justin Baldoni,” Freedman said.

“You don’t make fun of the situation. You take it very seriously. File HR complaints. You raise the issue and follow a legal process,” he continued. “What you don’t do is mock the person and turn it into a joke. There’s no question it relates to Justin. I mean anybody that can watch that—the hair bun, the comment about the pregnancy—it’s pretty obvious what’s being done.”

In her complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni “routinely degraded” her while making It Ends with Us together and would criticize her “body and weight.” She even claimed that he went so far as to call her trainer without her knowledge with a request that she lose weight—less than four months after she had given birth to her fourth child with Reynolds.

A representative for Reynolds and Freedman did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment.

Lively first filed a legal complaint against Baldoni on Dec. 20 accusing him of sexual harassment and for engineering a smear campaign against her, before filing a formal lawsuit on Dec. 31.

Along with denying the allegations, Baldoni filed a lawsuit against the New York Times, who first reported Lively’s complaint, alleging that it was his co-star “who engaged in a calculated smear campaign” and that the Times “cherry-picked and altered communications stripped of necessary context.”

Baldoni’s suit also alleges that “Baldoni and Wayfarer (his production company) grew increasingly fearful of what Lively and Reynolds were capable of, as their actions seemed aimed at destroying Baldoni’s career and personal life.”