Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ ‘awkward and stiff’ appearance at SNL’s 50th Anniversary Special has been decoded by a body language expert.
The couple attended the star-studded special on Sunday night, posing for snaps on the red carpet before taking part in an audience Q&A.
Ryan playfully addressed the recent attention on him and Blake during the Q&A session. This came after Blake took legal action against her co-star Justin Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment in relation to their collaboration on the movie It Ends With Us.
Despite trying to appear carefree and unaffected by the situation with their smiles, body language analyst Judi James suggested that their choice to go on the show amidst the controversy was bold and possibly risky.
Commenting on their joint appearance on the red carpet, James explained to MailOnline that appearing on a show like Saturday Night Live, known for its candid nature, while being embroiled in a legal and public relations dispute may be seen as temerarious. However, she noted that humor and self-deprecation can serve as effective ways to defuse tension.
‘The ability to be able to laugh at yourself is seen as an attractive and rapport-building trait as well as one that helps to break the ice and tension with the public.
‘Laughter relaxes the body and the mind and when you laugh with the person who has been put on the spot you regain those feelings of rapport that you might have had before.
‘There’s less scope for laughter on the red carpet here though, which might be why Blake and Ryan’s body language subliminal displays suggest some awkwardness.
‘He stands in a difficult pose as she walks out to join him, seeming to have one hand behind his torso while the other appears to clutch at the hem of his jacket.
‘Blake holds one arm out in an intentional gesture, letting him know in advance that she’s about to hug him, but her hand is bent in a limp angle to hint at potential wariness. There is a quick hair preen gesture as she grins at Ryan’s face.
‘Once they are coupled up Blake adopts a more confident and even defiant pose with her left hand on her hip and the elbow splayed outward.
‘There is a moment when both seem to be on the brink of applying some stiff, rictus social smiles before Ryan turns to whisper in Blake’s ear to make her laugh and he adds to the ritual of support by performing a supportive tie-sign eyebrow flash as their heads part.’
Viewers tuning into the SNL Anniversary Special then saw the toe-curling moment Ryan poked fun at his wife Blake’s recent legal scandals, as she made her first public appearance in two months at the event.
In a bit opposite Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Ryan stood up from the audience alongside Blake and said, ‘I have a question.’
He was asked, ‘Oh Ryan Reynolds, how’s it going?’ to which the Deadpool star deadpanned, ‘Great – why, what have you heard?’ – in a nod to the months of headlines regarding the troubled production of the summer hit It Ends with Us.
Offering her thoughts on the pair’s behaviour during this brief moment, Judi added that Ryan’s body language was a move to ‘break the tension’ in the room, as he addressed the recent backlash he and Blake have faced.
She said: ‘The audience Q&A is hilarious but not for the faint-hearted in terms of potential mockery.
‘Ryan stands to volunteer a question, adopting a performed look of boyishly bashful innocence with his brows raised and his eyes widened while his hands begin to wring in front of his torso.
‘He looks keen here, with the part-smile on his face and he’s clearly building to the non-verbal gag where he pretends to act out paranoia.
‘When asked how he is, his hands drop to the self-protective point known as the fig-leaf pose and the fingers in the clasp reach peak-anxiety wringing as he jokes ”Why, what’ve you heard?”
‘This simple body language act and one line breaks any tension around this first big appearance.
‘He then waves his hands in a more emphatic ritual as he asks his comedy question about eating cone heads.
‘Blake begins by performing a more complex narrowed eye smile of good humor plus a closed lip mouth smile with some puckering and pulling down that suggests mixed emotions.
‘This converts to a wide smile and a laugh but her expression changes quickly when Ryan makes his comment. Her smile dies and her head snaps round and upward to look at him in either acted or genuine concern.’
Social media reaction tended to skew against Ryan and Blake, with a number of commenters mentioning allegations Baldoni made in court filings linked to the film.
‘How sweet of SNL to try and do damage control for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively—but it won’t work,’ said one user.
Another remarked of the show, ‘Gross. So they’re supporting the bullies too.’
One person said Reynolds’ ‘desperation is showing,’ while another said of the pair, ‘Those 2 are cringe at this point…’
Another referenced Reynolds’ former marriage to Scarlett Johansson, who was on hand Sunday, as she’s wed to SNL stalwart Colin Jost.
‘I hope Scarlet laughed uproariously,’ the user said.
The couple also posed for an Instagram snap with veteran SNL star Chevy Chase, as they made a return to the spotlight following Blake’s recent legal woes.
Blake and Ryan were the predominant topic in the comments under Chevy’s post, as multiple people referred to allegations Justin made in his court filings.
Comments included: ‘Not Ryan and Blake, but love everyone else! Not sure why they are the first pic;
‘Did you hire an intimacy coordinator for that picture with Blake?’
‘Hope you recorded everything in case you get sued;’
‘Be careful Chevy she might accuse you of something!’
Lively and Reynolds, who dominated the box office last summer with their respective films It Ends with Us and Deadpool & Wolverine, looked every bit the A-list couple in their formal ensembles for the commemoration of the NBC comedy staple.
Black, who other past collaborators have spoken out about amid the Baldoni scandal, looked stylish in a silver gown with her blonde tresses down in her comeback to the red carpet.
Blake has accused Justin of sexual harassment in a lawsuit; while Justin accused Blake, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane of defamation and extortion in a $400 million suit.
Justin has denied the allegations brought about by Blake, while she, Ryan and Leslie have denied the accusations made in litigation by Baldoni.
Justin’s team has released a website which includes private communications such as text messages that were included in court filings detailing his interactions with the Hollywood power couple over the making of romantic drama.
He claimed in court filings they made efforts made to usurp and undermine his input as the director of It Ends with Us.
After Prime Video released a promotional post for Another Simple Favor on February 5, a number of commenters implicated that Lively might have tried to assert her influence over director Paul Feig, 62, over that movie, leading the filmmaker to respond to the speculation.
Dailymail.com reached out to Feig and his rep for further comment on this story.
Amid Justin’s claims that Blake and her inner circle used their considerable clout to commandeer changes to the script – even enlisting Taylor Swift to lean on him at one point – and re-cut the motion picture, a user asked in the comment section, ‘Is it Paul Feig’s cut or Blake’s cut?’
Feig – whose other cinematic credits include 2011’s Bridesmaids, 2016’s Ghostbusters and 2024’s Jackpot! – made clear he had full creative control over the film, replying, ‘It’s my cut. There is no other cut … just wanted to clear that up.’
Feig in his reply heaped massive praise on Lively, who he previously worked with on 2018’s A Simple Favor.
‘Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with,’ said the Emmy-nominated director, who has directed shows such as Arrested Development, The Office and Nurse Jackie. ‘She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan.’
A number of the director’s fans criticised his defense of Blake, amid the allegations Baldoni made in court filings and on the website.
‘Paul, I know you’re gonna wanna shake off these comments as coming from a bunch of loons, but Blake and Ryan really did use their star power to bulldoze Justin. It makes me really sad, and I hope you remember when you were starting off in this business.’
Others told Feig that his stellar reputation as a feted industry veteran insulated him from the strong-arming and meddling Lively allegedly subjected Baldoni to in regard to It Ends with Us’s screenplay, wardrobe and editing.
‘You’ve been in the directing game for so long, so of course Blake isn’t going to attempt to step on your toes. She just goes for the directors that are starting off and tries to use her husband to bully them and take over.
‘She’d never have the balls to do that to someone like you so of course she’s “amazing, great, kind, etc.”‘ said one user.
Other comments included: ‘You’re making things worse by defending Blake, you know. This just reaffirms that Blake treats powerful directors like you nicely and targets those she considers less than;’
‘You’re probably a good guy but you’re extremely lucky that you got your cut [because] Blake knew not to bully you and put you in the basement. She thought highly of you [because] you’re not a nobody.
‘But good luck with this show. It’s dead in the water.’
Multiple commenters referenced on Feig’s post Baldoni’s claim made in court filings that Lively arranged for his presence to be minimized at the It Ends with Us premiere.
‘Be careful you might end up in the basement in the premiere,’ one user said, while another responded, ‘Be careful Paul she may put you in the basement come premiere day.’
Feig put up his own separate post Tuesday amid news the motion picture, which was written by Jessica Sharzer, will be kicking off next month’s SXSW Film and TV Festival in Austin, Texas.
‘I have a simple favor to ask you… can you save the date?’ Feig said in the post. ‘#AnotherSimpleFavor from @AmazonMGMStudios is premiering as the opening night film at @SXSW in Austin on March 7th. And then we hit @PrimeVideo on May 1st. Stay tuned for more details and much more fun!’
Prime Video’s post read, ‘We have Another Simple Favor to ask you… can you save the date? Opening Night at SXSW. May 1 on Prime Video.’
Lively stars in alongside Kendrick in the sequel to their 2018 film A Simple Flavor, as they reprise their respective roles of Emily Nelson and Stephanie Smothers.
A logline from producers said that the sequel ‘follows Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy , for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman.’
The film’s cast is rounded out by Allison Janney, Michele Morrone, Elizabeth Perkins, Henry Golding and Andrew Rannells.
People flooded both the Prime Video post and Feig’s with comments referring to allegations made by Baldoni in court filings and an adjacent website.
Other humorous comments included: ‘Did Ryan rewrite a scene?’
‘Is the poster promoting Ryan’s gin as well? Is this the real version or did Blake edit it?’
Others referenced a text exchange in Baldoni’s court filing in which Lively likened Reynolds and Swift to Game of Thrones dragons, with one person writing, ‘How involved are Blake’s dragons on this one?’ while another said, ‘Will there be dragons?’
Some acknowledged they were just commenting amid the spectacle of the situation, as one user said they ‘came straight to the comments’ amid the controversies, while another asked, ‘Who came for just the comments?’
Another person remarked, ‘This is the worst timing for this promotion lmfao,’ while one predicted, ‘They will be turning off the comments soon.’
Baldoni’s team previously said that the communications shared in court filings on the website – which already has fans talking – makes things clear about the motives of both parties, marking the latest chapter in the feud between the It Ends with Us headliners.
The website, which is live online at thelawsuitinfo.com, comes amid a spate of high-profile litigation between the collaborators on the film, which was a hit at the box office last August.
The site went live days prior to the first hearing Monday, which was previously pushed up from an initial date of February 12, ahead of a trial with a starting date of March 9, 2026 in the case.
Lively filed an 80-page civil rights complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni December 20, before officially filing a federal lawsuit on December 31.
Lively in December sued Baldoni amid claims of sexual harassment during production of the motion picture. In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alum accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways – including body shaming her – and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
Baldoni and his reps have said in response to the lawsuit that Lively twisted the meaning of text messages and mislead the public about their interactions while making the motion picture.
In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.
‘I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,’ Lively told The New York Times the day after she filed the complaint.
Baldoni subsequently sued the newspaper for $250 million in a defamation claim over a December 21 story titled ‘”We Can Bury Anyone”: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine;’ the newspaper has denied the allegations.
Baldoni on January 16 filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion. Baldoni told the court the trio had concocted ‘false accusations of sexual harassment’ against him.
Since Lively’s complaint was filed, Baldoni has faced a number of professional consequences, including a lawsuit from a former publicist; and being dropped by the agency WME, which also reps Lively and Reynolds.
WME has denied claims that Lively and Reynolds leaned on them to release Baldoni from their client roster, according to Variety.
Lawyers for both parties were in accordance with a plan to compound both federal cases filed into one moving forward. All parties to the litigations have denied the allegations against them.
It Ends with Us, which also starred Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, arrived in theaters August 9 and was a hit with audiences.
The film, adapted from the 2016 Colleen Hoover novel, earned $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.
Lively broke out with the 2005 movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants opposite Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel and America Ferrera.
That led to her high-profile role on the TV show Gossip Girl, which she starred on from 2007-2012, playing lead character Serena van der Woodsen.
She has also appeared in movies such as 2010’s The Town, 2016’s The Shallows, 2018’s A Simple Favor and 2020’s The Rhythm Section.
Prior to It Ends with Us, Baldoni was best known for playing the role of Rafael Solano on the TV show Jane the Virgin from 2014–2019.
He also has directed films including 2019’s Five Feet Apart and 2020’s Clouds, and penned the 2021 book Man Enough, which tackled misconceptions of contemporary masculinity.
