Blake Lively Gets Under Her Haters' Skin & Uses 'Miserable' Ryan Reynolds As The Bait

It can be hard to be liked in Hollywood, especially if you're Blake Lively. While dealing with her own fall from Hollywood grace, Lively has also found herself embroiled in an ongoing legal drama with her "It Ends With Us" director and co-star Justin Baldoni. As legal proceedings begin to ramp up — causing chaos in the friendship between Lively and pop superstar Taylor Swift — it seems as if Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds would like everyone to think their lives are unbothered by the mess. Similar to the time Reynolds and Lively gave an out-of-touch marriage update to act like nothing was wrong, it seems Lively has once again stirred the pot for her haters.

Posting a disappearing story to Instagram, Lively was most likely trying to keep things casual and light by posting a photo of Reynolds appearing eerily similar to a soccer player emoji. While this all appeared above board at first glance, commenters on X, formerly Twitter, seemed to find one fatal flaw. One X user mentioned that Reynolds "looks absolutely miserable," in the photo. Many agreed that Reynolds is looking a bit worse for wear, with another saying, "He looks so old." Another perfectly brought up the Baldoni of it all by saying, "That sweater makes him look like he raided Lily Bloom's closet," referencing the character Lively played in the movie.

While commenters were quick to point out Reynolds and his appearance, there was one glaring connection most seemed to miss. The photo happens to fall eerily close to when Baldoni and his lawyers have requested specific phone and text records from Lively.

While Blake Lively might be wanting to put her best face forward and act like nothing is going on, it seems that every time Lively and Ryan Reynolds attempt to make their marriage appear perfect, it backfires. According to Page Six, Justin Baldoni and his legal team have issued a new filing that suggests Lively instructed bestie Taylor Swift to "delete their text messages." The court documents do not indicate when this alleged ask occurred, but it could be why Lively was trying to make an off-hand post including her phone, perhaps as proof she hasn't deleted anything.

Ever since Baldoni dragged Swift into the legal battle, Lively's good girl image has struggled, as has the friendship between Swift and Lively. It's to the point that Swift's boyfriend Travis Kelce even unfollowed Reynolds on social media. However, the new move from Baldoni's lawyers might also be escalating this possible friendship breakup into feud territory. According to Baldoni's legal team, Lively's alleged desire to have Swift delete some texts possibly wasn't a gentle ask, but more of a threat. The filing from Baldoni's lawyers indicated the texts would show "an attempt to intimidate and coerce a ... witness," essentially saying they think Lively pressured Swift to hide evidence. Big, if true.

For her part, Swift and her legal team have denied any wrongdoing and are trying to keep Swift out of any possible courtroom drama. Swift and Lively might be working on repairing their friendship, with a source telling Page Six the two are "ready to move forward." However, it does seem the way Lively and Reynolds often choose to move forward is by pretending none of it is happening.