Oh, he’s petty.
Ryan Reynolds seemingly made a thinly veiled dig at Justin Baldoni in his most recent profile with TIME100 Companies, published Thursday.
While discussing the aftermath of Baldoni’s lawsuit against him and wife Blake Lively for defamation and extortion, he told the outlet that it’s actually given his business endeavors more visibility.
“Accessibility and accountability are a big part of how I do things,” he said. “The people that I work with know me, so there’s never a question of anything like that. If you operate with some degree of core values and integrity, they’re going to help you up. If you’re an a–hole, they’re not. And that’s pretty simple.”
Besides being one of the most famous actors in Hollywood, Reynolds owns production company and marketing firm Maximum Effort, while also investing in businesses like Aviation Gin, discount telecommunications company Mint Mobile, Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC and the cybersecurity app 1Password.
He also told the outlet that the public’s opinion of the legal drama is “meaningless” to him.
“I can read something that says, ‘He should be drawn and quartered. I could read something that says I should win a Nobel Prize. Both are meaningless,” the “Deadpool” actor, 48, noted.
“None of us are comprised of our best moments. None of us are defined by our worst moments. We are something in the middle.”
Reynolds’ comments seemed to reference Baldoni’s career suffering after Lively accused him of launching a smear campaign against her in a sexual harassment complaint — and subsequent lawsuit.
Baldoni, 41, and his legal team have adamantly denied the allegations.
At the time, rumors of a feud between the “It Ends With Us” co-stars surfaced, with Lively being labeled as difficult to work with and controlling.
As a result of the lawsuit, in December 2024, Baldoni’s “Man Enough” podcast co-host Liz Plank announced her exit from the show.
“I’m writing to you today to let you know that I have had my representatives inform Wayfarer that I will no longer be co-hosting ‘The Man Enough’ podcast,” Plank wrote in a statement shared to Instagram.
“Thank you for trusting me with your hearts and stories, for holding space for mine, and for making this show what it was,” she continued. “I will miss you, the listeners, so much. I love what this community created together with every fiber of my being, and that’s because of you.”
Despite closing this “chapter” in her life, Plank said she will “remain committed to the values we’ve built together.”
“Thank you for being here, for trusting me, and for being by my side for the last four years,” she continued. “We all deserve better, and I know that together, we can create it.”
The Canadian author, 37, told fans she “will have more to share soon” but needs time to “process everything that has happened.”
“In the meantime, I will continue to support everyone who calls out injustice and holds the people standing in their way accountable,” she concluded, seemingly siding with the “Gossip Girl” alum.
The “Man Enough” podcast also appears to be on a hiatus, as the last episode aired in late October 2024.
Baldoni hit back at Lively with a countersuit, dragging Reynolds and their publicist, Leslie Sloane, into the mix. He also sued the New York Times in a separate filing for libel.
The New York Times, as well as Lively, Reynolds and Sloane, have all denied Baldoni’s claims.
Earlier this month, a judge went on to dismiss both of his lawsuits before giving the director and his legal team a chance to amend their initial filings.
In a shocking turn of events, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told Page Six they will not be amending his lawsuit. They will instead focus on the actor’s defense.
“The Court’s decision on the motion to dismiss has no effect whatsoever on the truth that there was no harassment nor any smear campaign, and it does not in any way affect our vigorous defense against Ms. Lively’s claims,” Freedman said in a statement earlier this week.
“Discovery is proceeding and we are confident that we will prevail against these factually baseless accusations,” he added, noting that they “will be pursuing additional legal options that are available to us.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lively told Page Six in a statement, “The Court dismissed the frivolous $400 million Baldoni-Wayfarer lawsuit in its entirety. In the days that followed, Baldoni’s lawyer said the judge’s decision to dismiss their case was not a big deal as they promised to amend and refile it.
“As per usual, that was not true. The Court’s dismissal of Baldoni’s sham lawsuit was a total victory after all.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
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