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Justin Baldoni's lawyer has broken his silence following Ryan Reynolds' controversial SNL 'joke'.
To recap, back in December, Blake Lively, 37, filed a legal complaint against her It Ends With Us co-star and on-screen love interest, Baldoni, 41.
In the suit, she alleged that her cast-mate exhibited overly-sexualised behaviour towards her while on the set of the Coleen Hoover novel adaptation, and that Baldoni later orchestrated a smear campaign against her.
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Baldoni has vehemently denied all allegations, and has since sued Lively himself for defamation and extortion.
He has since released a series of alleged text messages between himself and Reynolds, 48, claiming the pair enjoyed an amicable relationship.
So when Reynolds seemingly made a joke about the ongoing lawsuit, people were pretty divided.
At SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Sunday (16 February), Reynolds could be seen in the audience with wife Lively, before hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey give the pair a shout-out.
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He then stands while Poehler exclaims: “Oh, hi, Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds, how is it going?”
With an awkward expression, Reynolds then replies: “Great... why? What have you heard?” Lively's shocked face then shoots upwards in his direction.
It's believed Reynolds was making a 'joke' about the legal battle, which Baldoni's lawyer has now responded to.
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When asked about the gag on Billy Bush's Hot Mics podcast, attorney Bryan Freedman said he was surprised at the joke.
“I’m unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation,” he said.
“I can’t think of anyone who’s done anything like that. So it surprised me.”
Freedman also took the opportunity to praise some online sleuths who had been supporting Baldoni.
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“They are the jury for years because people are canceled, people have projects taken away from them, people are ridiculed, people are shunned - right away, right when the allegation happens,” he added.
“These these people actually give someone a chance. They dig through things and say to the public, 'Hold on. This doesn’t seem to be true'. Thank God, and thank the universe for those people out there, because it’s just one person helping another, and we’re all trying to get to the truth.”
Tyla has reached out to representatives of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively for comment.
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It's not the first time Freedman has criticised one of Reynolds' jokes, accusing the actor of referencing his client in Deadpool & Wolverine.
“What Ryan Reynolds has seemingly done is use his power and influence ... on Deadpool and to make fun of Justin Baldoni,” Freedman told The Megyn Kelly Show.
In the clip, which was played to Freedman during the interview, Reynolds character says: “I'm Deadpool... but here everybody calls me Nicepool... oh my goodness, wait until you see Ladypool she is gorgeous. She just had a baby too and... can't even tell.”
When told he 'wasn't allowed to say that' Nicepool adds: “It's OK, I identify as a feminist.”
When asked what he thought of the clip, Freedman said: “What I make of that is that if your wife is sexually harassed, you don't make fun of Justin Baldoni; you don't make fun of the situation - you take it very seriously.
“You file HR complaints, you raise the issue, you follow a legal process, what you don't do is mock the person and turn it into a joke.
“There's no question it relates to Justin... the hair bun, the comment about the pregnancy, it's pretty obvious what's been done.
“If someone is seriously sexually harassed, you don't make fun of it, it's a serious issue.”
Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Justin Baldoni
Lucy Devine