Ryan Reynolds pushed Sony Pictures to defend his wife, Blake Lively, as she faced mounting backlash during the promotion of “It Ends With Us,” according to newly obtained court documents.
Text messages between Reynolds, 49, and talent agent Warren Zavala show the actor expressing frustration with the studio over its response to the controversy surrounding Lively, 39. The messages, dated August 2024, were included in court documents filed in November 2025 and obtained by Page Six on Friday.
Reynolds Stands Up for Lively After Her Film Controversy
At the time, Lively was facing criticism for how she promoted the domestic violence drama, including encouraging fans to “Grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it.” She also drew backlash for appearing to promote her haircare brand and beverage line during the press tour.
As rumors about Lively’s alleged behavior on set circulated, Reynolds urged Sony to publicly defend her and challenge the negative coverage.
“They need to frame it the right way!” Reynolds texted Zavala. “The sentence needs to start with… feels like they’re trying to thread the needle. They just need to go f – – king straight at this.”
Reynolds also wanted the studio to characterize the negative coverage as “part of a systematic and coordinated campaign by a crisis p.r. team.”
In another message, he criticized Sony for failing to stand up for his wife and described the studio’s handling of the situation as “unforgivable.”
Reynolds said he had drafted a statement for Sony himself, but the studio did not release it. He continued to press for a public response, writing, “This needs to be addressed immediately. This is the most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen in this business.”
“Sony needs to step up for real,” he added. “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.”
Reynolds Allegedly Believed Sony Didn’t Have Lively’s Back
The actor also accused the studio of failing to act decisively, saying Sony needed to “stop bullsh – – -ting and get in front.” He added that Baldoni “needs to see that an entire studio knows what he’s doing.”
When Zavala suggested Sony was “covering their ass” because of “exposure,” Reynolds responded that the studio’s “backs are against the wall.”
The messages showed that Reynolds’ concerns began earlier in the month. In an August 9 exchange, he told Zavala he was “super frustrated” that Lively was dealing with online criticism after making sacrifices to work on the film.
“They should be protecting B,” Reynolds wrote, referring to his wife. He added that Lively “under no circumstances should be asked to clean up this sloppy, cliched f – – kstorm.”
A source told the outlet that Reynolds was trying to protect Lively from a crisis public relations team allegedly hired by Baldoni. The source also referenced allegations involving the team in other lawsuits.
The messages offer a glimpse into Reynolds’ efforts to get Sony to publicly support Lively as the controversy surrounding the film intensified.
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Private Ryan Reynolds Text Messages Revealed as He Tried to Fiercely Help His Wife