Ryan Reynolds Steps Out at Harvard Amid Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively Legal Battle

Ryan Reynolds made his first public appearance since It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni’s latest lawsuit against the actor and his wife, Blake Lively.

The Deadpool star took to social media on Wednesday, January 22 to share photos via his Instagram Story of an outing at Harvard Business School. During the event, he and Shark Tank guest star Matt Higgins spoke to the prestigious college’s students.

“If my dad were even remotely alive enough to see me speaking at Harvard Business School, he’d be pretty impressed,” Reynolds, 48, wrote via the caption, referencing his late father,  James Chester Reynolds.

Using his trademark humor, Reynolds then quipped, “More due to his sudden aliveness.But also, what an opportunity to withhold affection AND see your child speak at Harvard.”

“Thank you [Matt Higgins] for the thoughtful conversation and tee up,” captioned another photo from his Harvard visit. “This class has megawatt talent. The questions alone made me wiser.”

The Marvel star’s speaking event at Harvard comes amid the ongoing It Ends With Us legal battle that sees Reynolds and Lively, 37, up against Baldoni, 40.

Lively sued Baldoni in a December 2024 lawsuit, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, creating a “hostile work environment” and causing her “severe emotional distress” while working together. (Baldoni has denied all accusations in the lawsuit, which was obtained by Us Weekly.)

Following the news breaking via The New York Times, Baldoni was among 10 plaintiffs who, days later, launched a $250 million lawsuit against the publication for its coverage of Lively’s accusations. (A spokesperson for The New York Times told Us that the outlet is planning to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”)

Lively filed a lawsuit that same day against Baldoni in a New York federal court which mirrored her earlier claims — which were filed with the California Civil Rights Department.

Baldoni’s studio filed a new lawsuit on Thursday, January 16 against Lively, Reynolds and Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, seeking damages of $400 million. The lawsuit includes accusations of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy and other claims.

Several days later, on Tuesday, January 21, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, released behind-the-scenes footage from the It Ends With Us set in an attempt to disprove Lively’s side of the story.

In response, Lively and Reynolds filed a letter in court on the same day, asking for a protective order to stop Baldoni’s lawyer from engaging in “improper conduct” such as an alleged “harassing and retaliatory media campaign” against the couple.