Do we like Ryan Reynolds?
Our score: 8 out of 10. Decent record on harm and a proper cheque to civil rights groups, with one sharp-elbowed fight over his wife's dispute as the only real mark.
Reynolds is the youngest of four brothers from Vancouver, and he failed high school drama before landing a role in the Florida-taped teen soap Fifteen while still at school. He dropped out of Kwantlen University to chase acting, copped some rough reviews in TV movies, then moved to Hollywood and broke through with the comedy Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. Van Wilder in 2002 turned him into a leading man.
The messy chapter began in January 2025, when Baldoni sued Lively, Reynolds and others for $400 million. The suit alleged Reynolds called Baldoni a “sexual predator” to his agent, told Baldoni's rep to drop him, and launched an aggressive tirade at the couple's home. Baldoni's lawyer denied Lively's underlying allegations. In June 2025 a federal judge dismissed the claims, finding Baldoni hadn't alleged that Reynolds seriously doubted what he said.
In January 2026, unsealed court material put Reynolds' private messages about Baldoni in the headlines. His rep told Puck that he got involved because he saw his wife stand up against alleged harassment, adding “If anything, Ryan feels like he wasn't angry enough.” Baldoni's side denies Lively's allegations. Whether you read it as a husband backing his wife or a bloke throwing his weight around depends on which side you believe.
The whole thing wrapped up in May 2026, when Lively and Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios settled about two weeks before jury selection, terms undisclosed. Baldoni's $400 million claim against Reynolds and Lively had already been tossed out the previous June. A joint statement said Lively's concerns deserved to be heard, and Reynolds never had to take the stand.
On the harm check, we found nothing nasty. In a 2015 interview he said of same-sex marriage “God no. I'm not a monster! I think it's fantastic.” At Comic-Con in 2018 he said the Deadpool universe should “represent and reflect the world in very real ways”. We found no sign of a slide into conspiracy theories or culture-war grievance, though searches for his statements on trans issues and climate turned up only junk sites, so that part of the record is thin.
The good stuff is real money. In 2021 Reynolds and Blake Lively pledged $1 million split between the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, with matching gifts up to the same amount. He thanked both groups for their “tireless work”. That's using a platform for other people, not just promoting a gin.