The controversy surrounding Ryan Reynolds’ joke at SNL’s 50th Anniversary Special shows no signs of fading. In a new twist, a recently published report suggests that the Deadpool star did not come up with the quip about the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni controversy. This revelation follows a statement from a longtime SNL crew member. They claimed that Reynolds originally prepared a different comment than the one he ultimately delivered.
Here’s everything you need to know regarding the latest developments in the story behind Ryan Reynolds’ now-infamous SNL joke.
SNL denies that Ryan Reynolds wrote the Blake Lively joke
During a recent appearance on the Fifi, Fev & Nick podcast, Wally Feresten, a longtime SNL crew member with 35 years of experience, had a new revelation. According to this, Ryan Reynolds had initially prepared a different response for the comedy show’s 50th Anniversary Special. When SNL favorites Amy Poehler and Tina Fey asked the Canadian superstar, ‘How’s it going?’ Reynolds replied, ‘Great. Why? What have you heard?’—a remark seemingly referencing the ongoing legal drama between It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
However, according to Feresten—fondly known as Cue Card Wally in the SNL circle—Ryan Reynolds originally had a different line in rehearsal. He pitched that idea himself. So that was his idea to do it. We wouldn’t want to do anything too controversial unless they were in on it. Yeah, that was his line. That was his idea.”
Since then, an SNL spokesperson has come out to deny the claims made by Feresten about Ryan Reynolds’ involvement in the said joke. In a statement provided to People, the representative stated that Feresten is neither a writer nor does he take part in the creative process for SNL. A source close to the Free Guy actor resonated with these sentiments, noting, “The opening joke was pitched by SNL and never changed. The follow-up joke [about the Coneheads] was rewritten in rehearsal.”
At the time of writing, Ryan Reynolds has yet to issue an official statement regarding his part in SNL’s 50th Anniversary Special.
