Blake Lively was reportedly ‘nervous’ about returning to the public eye for the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary event amid her legal woes with Justin Baldoni.
The Gossip Girl star filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star last year, where she accused him of sexual harassment which caused “severe emotional distress.” Lively, 37, also alleges that Baldoni, 41, had attempted to “destroy” her reputation in what she has dubbed a smear campaign.
Justin has strongly denied all allegations and just last month, countersued Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, for £321 million ($400m) for an apparent attempt to destroy his reputation and career. Amid the legal dispute, Lively and Reynolds showed up to the SNL: The Anniversary Special.
At one point during the night, Reynolds took part in the Q&A session with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler where he stood up in the audience and said: “I have a question,” prompting Tina to respond: “Oh Ryan Reynolds, how’s it going?”
“Great – why, what have you heard?” Reynolds said, seemingly referencing the storm of media attention surrounding the situation. A body language expert pointed out Lively seemed shocked by his supposed dig at the legal situation but many online have pointed out it was likely the mum-of-four was in on the scripted exchange.
And now, a source claimed the couple ‘had a great time’. Speaking to People, they added Lively was “nervous” to return to the limelight but still “excited to be out with friends and support Saturday Night Live”. When Reynolds asked the hosting duo ‘what they’ve heard’, seemingly referring to the lawsuits, the audience immediately burst into laughter.
Ryan then asked: “You know the materials that they made the cone heads with — are those edible?” The response from the public, however, was harsh, with many criticising the couple for using their celebrity status to regain public support after facing negative media attention.
Licensed clinical social worker Shari Botwin has since spoken out against the actor for trivialising the situation. She told the Daily Mail: “Jokes about sexual harassment reinforce rape culture, and further silences victims.”
Shari added: “Reynolds may have stepped out of line by mocking his wife’s lawsuit. People tend to joke about issues involving sexual violence because they are uncomfortable, or they do not understand the impact. Jokes made by Reynolds about his wife’s lawsuit minimises her claims and distances Reynolds from being her partner in a situation that is Blake’s alleged reality.”
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