Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively's Most Disgustingly Out Of Touch Moments

The shady side of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds has been on everyone's minds amid the "Gossip Girl" alum's legal battle with Justin Baldoni, her co-star and the director of "It Ends with Us." Lively has been on the receiving end of brutal attacks from many who believe her accusations of sexual harassment against Baldoni were fabricated. Their legal war is ongoing at the time of this writing, but Baldoni's PR strategy has, at times, proved successful in garnering public support. Lively and Reynolds exposed how messy their PR team is with a marriage update in February 2025.

That's because amid the drama that had everyone taking sides and dissecting the accusations left and right, the couple went around acting like nothing was happening, posting a smiling selfie in New York City the same day People reported that Baldoni was struggling emotionally and financially as a result of Lively's lawsuit. Communications expert Amy Prenner, founder of The Prenner Group, told Nicki Swift that it was a rookie mistake. "When you're in the middle of a tough news cycle, every post matters. Even something as simple as a selfie can be read a dozen different ways," she said.

That's clearly what happened here. Social media users were quick to lambast Lively for her tone-deaf post. In Prenner's opinion, they should have laid low at that time. "It's important to think about timing and tone, and sometimes the smartest move is to pause, let things breathe, and come back with a more thoughtful approach," she noted. Reynolds and Lively's out-of-touch approach has seemingly played against them, and this is far from the only time. 

Blake Lively loves to play mahjong, so she bought her close friends sets for Christmas '25. But they weren't just any old mahjong tiles; they were from Oh My Mahjong, whose sets will set you back between $400 and $500 — and that's not considering any accessories, like bags, mats, and the like. "I always end up gifting them my own set because they are obsessed and want to practice," she told Vogue in December 2025.

Social media users weren't impressed by her playing skills, though. Lively caught flak not only for promoting a board game that costs hundreds of dollars, but also for promoting a company created by a non-Chinese woman profiting off a traditional game. "This is such a cringey company started by a white woman selling $400 mahjong sets? And sorry but having your joker tiles depicting men wearing traditional triangle straw hats is not cool," a Reddit user argued.

As communications expert Amy Prenner told Nicki Swift, the problem here is the way the message is conveyed. Lively could have avoided some of the backlash by keeping the focus on the hobby, not the specific sets. "Authenticity and self-awareness go a long way," she said. The public knows celebrities can afford stuff the rest of us can't, so the focus should be on the experience rather than the object. "It helps to focus less on the price and more on the intention or joy it brings. That's what people connect to — the emotion behind the story, not the luxury itself," Prenner said. 

In December 2024, Ryan Reynold drew criticism for comments about Blake Lively's childhood that many considered to be disingenuous. "We both grew up very working class," he told The Hollywood Reporter while discussing why he and Blake don't post their children online and their efforts to give them a normal upbringing. Unsurprisingly, his response didn't go over well with the public. For starters, Blake grew up in Hollywood. The daughter of an actor and director father and a talent scout mother, she was raised in the industry.

Besides, Blake was only 10 when she made her acting debut, snagging a small part in the 1998 film "Sandman." While not exactly the lavish life Blake and Reynolds have today, it doesn't sound like she had a regular upbringing either. "Ryan himself probably was lower on the socioeconomic ladder (I don't know about working class, but sure, around that level I can see it), but for him to say his wife was in the same strata... he's not doing her any favours," a Reddit user noted.

Others highlighted the family connections Blake has had since she was a baby. "Didn't her sister date Jason [Priestley]? There's a picture of him holding a baby Blake. They were far from regular people. This is just laughable," a second Redditor wrote, referring to actor Robyn Lively's brief relationship with the "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum and a photo Blake shared on Instagram of herself as a toddler with him (seen above).

The 2024 film "It Ends with Us" depicts a toxic relationship featuring themes like domestic violence and emotional abuse. But on social media and in interviews, Blake Lively adopted a lighthearted tone when referring to the film, showcasing floral outfits and themes in a nod to her character, who is a florist. "'It Ends with Us' is in theaters now, so grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it," she said in a promo video.

Given her attitude during the press tour, many argued you wouldn't know the film's themes if all you had to go by was Lively's promotion of it. "I knew nothing about this movie so assumed it was a romcom. Girl!!! How tone deaf are you!!! Lmao. Wear. Your. florals????? Pathetic," an Instagram user commented under the clip. This wasn't a one-off, though. Lively rarely ever touched on the film's darker themes. "It feels like a big, beautiful summer movie," she said in another interview.

Women across social media platforms thought Lively showed disrespect toward domestic violence survivors as she profited off their stories, while also deceiving viewers into believing they were going to see a completely different movie. "I saw a few promos for 'IEWU' and my husband and I went to see it — I have DV in my past and it was horrible and uncomfortable sitting with my husband watching it — we were trying to find a easy romcom for my bday," an X user shared. 

Given that "It Ends with Us" discusses domestic violence, questions about the film's darker themes inevitably came up in interviews. But in at least one instance, Blake Lively gave a sarcastic response that came across as inappropriate and out of touch. In an appearance on "Jake's Takes" in August 2024, Jake Hamilton was discussing how people who may have gone through similar situations explored in the movie might approach Lively in public to talk about these themes.

Lively didn't take Hamilton's pondering seriously. "Like, asking for my address, or my phone number, or, like, location share? I could just location share you. ... I'm a Virgo, so like, are we talking logistics, are we talking emotionally?" she said sarcastically. Even though she went on to give a more appropriate response later on, her decision to start off with a joke drew intense criticism online.

While some understood taking a more nuanced position, they disagreed with her approach. "I completely get not wanting the entire focus of her character to be about DV, because she's more than just a victim. But at the same time, I can't believe she has this kind of attitude when asked about something that's so serious," a Reddit user wrote. Others highlighted that her response was so out of place that even her co-star, Brandon Sklenar, looked mortified (seen above). "Once he realizes [what she's saying], he looks disgusted but not surprised," a second user noted. 

While most of their out-of-touch moments happened more recently, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds began their shared life together with a pretty big one. In September 2012, they made a splash when news leaked out that they had tied the knot. But the secrecy of their wedding wasn't the only aspect of their big day that landed them in the headlines. Lively and Reynolds chose the Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina as their wedding venue, and people didn't let them off the hook for it.

Media coverage of the wedding largely focused on the glamour of the event, though some pointed criticism definitely happened at the time. But it wasn't until 2018 that the backlash gained traction, when Reynolds was accused of hypocrisy after he showed support for the "Black Panther" movie. "You don't think it's even a little f***ed up to be all 'Wakanda forever' when you literally got married standing on dust from the bones of murdered slaves?" an X user argued.

Lively and Reynolds eventually apologized for their choice, albeit more than two years after the backlash and eight years after the wedding. "What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy," Reynolds told Fast Company in 2020. Lively also expressed remorse in court documents amid her legal fight with Justin Baldoni. "It's a mistake we have publicly acknowledged and done a lot of work to reconcile for ourselves and others," she said during her deposition, People reported in January 2026.