Ryan Reynolds Slams Justin Baldoni's 'Thin-Skinned Outrage'...

"Reynolds’ exploitation of his enormous power in Hollywood continues, this time arrogantly asking to be dismissed from the case," Baldoni's lawyer responded

By Jen Juneau and Elizabeth Rosner

Justin Baldoni and Ryan Reynolds
Justin Baldoni in New York City on Aug. 6, 2024; Ryan Reynolds in New York City on June 20, 2024. Photo: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock; Taylor Hill/Getty
Attorneys for Ryan Reynolds have blasted what they are referring to as Justin Baldoni's "thin-skinned outrage over a movie character" in Reynolds' motion to dismiss Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against him, wife Blake Lively and publicist Leslie Sloane
Reynolds' legal team alleged that Baldoni's "outrage" over Reynolds' "satirical 'woke' " Nicepool character "does not even pretend to be tied to any actual legal claims"
Baldoni's lead attorney Bryan Freedman says in a statement addressing the motion to dismiss, "Mr. Reynolds now attempts to reduce plainly cognizable claims to 'hurt feelings,' sending a clear message that bullying is acceptable"
Ryan Reynolds is questioning the legal basis of Justin Baldoni's "outrage over a movie character."

In a motion to dismiss Baldoni's lawsuit against him, filed Tuesday, March 18, Reynolds alleged that the plaintiff's reaction to his "satirical 'woke' " Deadpool & Wolverine character, Nicepool, "does not even pretend to be tied to any actual legal claims."

"Instead," attorneys for Reynolds, 48, claimed in the motion, "it falls into the [first amended complaint]'s general allegation of 'hurt feelings,' which in reality is nothing more than a desperate effort to advance the same curated 'bully' image that the Wayfarer Parties created and disseminated in the retaliation campaign they launched against Ms. [Blake] Lively in August of 2024."

Baldoni's lead attorney Bryan Freedman says in a statement of Reynolds' motion to dismiss, "[Reynolds'] fingerprints have been all over this smear campaign against Justin and the Wayfarer team since day one. Mr. Reynolds now attempts to reduce plainly cognizable claims to 'hurt feelings,' sending a clear message that bullying is acceptable."

Nicepool is a minor character that Reynolds plays in Deadpool & Wolverine, the blockbuster 2024 film that he also co-wrote. The character, complete with a man bun, describes himself as a "feminist" in the film and calls the character Ladypool — played by Reynolds' wife Lively, 37 — "gorgeous" and says, "She just had a baby too and you can’t even tell."

Ryan Reynolds Nice Pool Deadpool and Wolverine Justin Baldoni
Ryan Reynolds in Los Angeles on Nov. 14, 2024; Reynolds as Nicepool in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024); Justin Baldoni in Los Angeles on Dec. 4, 2024. Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty;Disney/Marvel; Araya Doheny/Variety/Getty
Did Ryan Reynolds Reference Justin Baldoni with His Nicepool Character in Deadpool & Wolverine?
Freedman also says in his statement of Reynolds' motion to dismiss, "Mr. Reynolds’ exploitation of his enormous power in Hollywood continues, this time arrogantly asking to be dismissed from the case despite his publicly documented involvement extending far beyond just being a 'supportive spouse.' "

In January, Baldoni, 41, filed a $400 million lawsuit against Reynolds, Lively, their publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane's PR firm Vision PR, Inc. over the heated situation behind the scenes of Baldoni and Lively's movie It Ends With Us.

That same month, Baldoni's lawyers sent a litigation hold letter to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger, demanding they hold onto documents that mention Baldoni for potential use in court.

According to the letter, which was viewed by PEOPLE, they want “any and all documents relating to the development of the Nicepool character” and “communications relating to the development, writing and filming of storylines and scenes featuring Nicepool."

To support his claim, Baldoni's legal team is looking for documents "relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate or bully Baldoni through the character of Nicepool," among other subjects.

Blake Lively (L) and Ryan Reynolds attend The Adam Project World Premiere; Justin Baldoni attends "The Boys In The Boat" New York Screening
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in New York City on Feb. 28, 2022; Justin Baldoni in New York City on Dec. 13, 2023. Monica Schipper/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Ryan Reynolds’ Rep Calls Him 'the Man' Justin Baldoni 'Built His Brand Pretending to Be' in Fiery New Statement
"Mr. Reynolds was a key player in the scheme, defaming Justin around Hollywood, strong-arming WME into dropping Justin as a client, and trying to destroy Justin’s career however possible," the lawyer further alleged.

Lively initially filed a complaint in December 2024 against Baldoni, It Ends With Us producer Jamey Heath and Heath and Baldoni's production company Wayfarer Studios, as well as its co-founder Steve Sarowitz, claiming sexual harassment and an alleged retaliatory public smear campaign to "destroy" her reputation.

She also named Jeb Wallace, an independent contractor, and Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, publicists accused of harming Lively’s reputation. While Freedman denied the accusations to PEOPLE, The New York Times ran an investigative story looking into Lively's claims. Shortly after, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against the outlet, alleging libel, which the Times denied.

Lively's legal team called Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against her, Reynolds and Sloane "another chapter in the abuser playbook." Baldoni and Lively are set to face off in court on March 9, 2026.

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