Ryan Reynolds made his first public appearance since his wife Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against It Ends with Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni.
Reynolds attended the National Board of Review Awards gala on January 7 at New York City’s Cipriani 42nd Street, where he presented the award for Best Film to Wicked, which also received accolades for Best Director and the NBR Spotlight Award.
According to People, Reynolds kept a low profile in recent weeks following Lively’s December 20 complaint accusing Baldoni and his team of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment on the set of It Ends with Us.
Meanwhile, the lawsuit also alleges a retaliatory smear campaign against her.
Moreover, Baldoni has strongly denied the claims, calling them “false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.”
As per the publication, on December 31, Baldoni and his production company filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times over its coverage of Lively’s allegations.
Additionally, Lively escalated her legal action the same day by filing a federal complaint against Baldoni and his producing partners.
As per the outlet’s claims, Lively’s complaint accuses Baldoni of unprofessional behavior, including pressuring her into simulating nudity without an intimacy coordinator and entering her trailer uninvited while she was undressed.
Furthermore, the lawsuit also details the emotional toll on Lively, Reynolds, and their children, citing “grief, fear, trauma, and anxiety.”
It is worth mentioning that Reynolds’ appearance at the gala, where he posed with Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, and Ethan Slater, marks a rare outing for the couple since the legal dispute began.
The actor, dressed in a grey jacket and white shirt, avoided directly addressing the ongoing controversy.
Lively and Reynolds last attended a public event together in December at a screening of Wicked: Part One.
