Ryan Reynolds Appears to Send Message After Baldoni Lawsuit

In his first public appearance since his wife Blake Lively sued her co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment, Ryan Reynolds seemed to subtly address the matter by discussing the “different set of standards” women are held to.

While presenting Jon M. Chu’s Wicked with a National Board of Review Award for Best Film on Tuesday night, Reynolds reflected on Wicked’s beating heart—its two leads Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda (Ariana Grande)—and told the star-studded crowd: “Wicked is indeed wicked. It dares to center two powerful women.

“It examines a nuanced, complex relationship, which has resonated with people for over two decades on stage. Stories about women seem to be held to a different set of standards, and that is to say that they’re often held to the standards women are held to in life,” he continued.

“You must be perfect; you must hide your strength; you must shape shift or placate. But [NBCUniversal chairman and chief content officer] Donna Langley and Universal, they know where and with whom to place their trust, and it paid off in this film,” Reynolds added.

The Deadpool star went on to praise the cast and crew of Wicked and lauded the musical for its “signal fire of togetherness,” stating that “feeling the same thing at the same moment is an experience that is in scarce supply these days.”

Along with best film, Wicked was also honored with a best director award for Chu and a special award for Erivo and Grande’s collaboration, reinvigorating its accolades after snubs at the 2025 Golden Globes.

Reynolds has yet to directly publicly address his wife’s ongoing suit against Baldoni, whom she accused of sexual harassment and orchestrating a “smear” campaign against her with the help of his public relations team.

Baldoni denied the allegations and also filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for a report it published on his It Ends With Us co-star’s complaints.

Along with accusing the Times of “cherry-picking” text messages subpoenaed by Lively, Baldoni also claims in his suit that Reynolds “aggressively berated” him for “fat-shaming” Lively and alleges that he only contacted Lively’s trainer about her weight to “ensure he could safely perform” a scene in the film “without injury.”

Meanwhile, Lively’s suit states that her husband “has been affected mentally, physically, and professionally by his wife and children’s pain.”