Ryan Reynolds has sparked controversy by alluding to wife Blake Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni whilst making a joke on Saturday Night Live.
Fans of the Deadpool actor have been left divided by his latest comment, with many claiming the time and context of his latest attempt at humour were not appropriate.
For those in need of a reminder, back in December, 37-year-old Blake Lively filed a legal complaint against her It Ends With Us co-star and on-screen love interest, Justin Baldoni.
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In the suit, the Gossip Girl alum alleges that her cast-mate exhibited overly-sexualised behaviour towards her whilst on the set of the Coleen Hoover novel adaptation, and that Baldoni later orchestrated a smear campaign against her.
Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds was also named in the complaint several times, with the actress claiming 40-year-old Baldoni would often make references and inquisitions about their sex life.
Baldoni vehemently denied all allegations, and has since sued Lively himself for defamation and extortion.
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Just last week, he also made the decision to release a series of text messages between himself and Reynolds, claiming the pair enjoyed an amicable relationship - even after Lively had made a list of demands about intimacy protocol on set.
So naturally, followers of the Hollywood legal battle were surprised to hear father-of-four Reynolds, 48, seemingly making a joke about it during an appearance on the 50th anniversary edition of Saturday Night Live this week. Take a look:
In the clip - which has since gone viral online - the actor could be seen sitting in the audience alongside Lively, when hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey give the couple a shout out.
As he stands, the comedians exclaim: "Oh, hi, Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds, how is it going?"
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He then timidly replies: "Great... why? What have you heard?"
Lively then looks up at him shocked, seemingly confirming the remark was a jibe alluding to recent circumstances.
As we say, however, the fact that the legal dispute harnesses on sensitive subject matter and is still ongoing has meant that Reynolds' latest joke hasn't gone down too well with many.
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Sharing their thoughts about the interaction online, one SNL viewer hit out: "The audacity of them to show up".
"Also Kinda irritating he’s making a joke of it," another wrote. "Like I understand, make fun of it before someone else does. But she made a serious SA accusation, it’s not funny."
A third penned: "PR stunt and power move. Showing JB their clout and reach and nonchalance over the whole fiasco by joking about it."
Others, however, saw the comedy in Reynolds' latest TV gig.
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"Nah Ryan’s a true comedian for that," one gushed, as another wrote: "Idc, Ryan Reynolds will always be funny as hell."
Topics: Celebrity, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, US News, TV And Film
Rhianna Benson