Why Ryan Reynolds’ Recent Joke About Blake Lively Is Proving Controversial
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have endured a turbulent 2025, with the actress, 37, locked in a legal battle with It Ends With Us director, Justin Baldoni. And with a trial for Lively v Wayfarer Studios set for March 2026, the A-list couple appears to have taken a temporary step back from the spotlight.
This month however, Reynolds, 48, has been front and centre, taking part in a nationwide tour to promote his new documentary, John Candy: I Like Me.
The 2025 documentary film, directed by Colin Hanks, pays tribute to the Canadian actor, with a host of A-list faces including Steve Martin, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara taking part in filming.
During Reynolds' tour to promote the project, he recalled getting Bill Murray onboard, explaining to the audience at the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick that it was a long process.
Reynolds reportedly recalled getting Murray's number from "a friend of a friend of a friend", re-enacting his voicemail for the audience.
"Hey Bill, Ryan Reynolds here. I'm making a documentary about John Candy," he acted, per Page Six. "I'm just hoping I could pick your brain. I'll come to you; I'll do whatever it takes."
"Funny, I'm on my way to some gala thing and I rarely go to a fancy tuxedo [event]," he reportedly continued. "I'm there with my wife and we're about to walk in and my phone buzzes, and I look at it. It says Billy Murray, and I go, 'Bill Murray!'"
"She goes, 'We have to go in!,'" Reynolds continued, to which he recalled replying: "Fuck you!"
The anecdote was reportedly met by laughter from the theatre's audience. However, since circulating online, it has proven controversial, with people calling it out on social media.
"That's not funny," read one comment, while another fan posted: "That's not okay. And the fact he thinks that's a funny thing to share is concerning."
Other fans disagreed, with one commenting: "Looks like you are having so much fun at these shows."
"I love seeing the highlights from this tour," another added. "Thank you [for] doing this tour and thank you for making this documentary.
We will continue to update this story.
