Rob McElhenney reveals why he chose to publicly support Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively amid Justin Baldoni controversy
Actor and producer Rob McElhenney publicly expressed his unwavering support for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively amid the latter's high-profile legal dispute with Justin Baldoni. McElhenney spoke to Variety on May 21, 2025, and described the legal dispute as "difficult and challenging."
Rob McElhenney is a co-owner of Wrexham A.F.C. with Reynolds and his co-star in Welcome to Wrexham. While speaking to Variety, he also emphasized the strength of their friendship and his commitment to offering emotional support, explaining why he supported Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.
“It’s just our way of staying connected and navigating something together, and also me giving and showing as much support as I possibly can with all the other stuff that he’s got going on, that I know is so difficult and challenging.”
He also told the publication that he and his wife, Kaitlin Olson, were trying to offer their support "in any way that we can."
“We both are just trying to offer our support in any way that we can that doesn’t just simply add oxygen to the fire,” he said.
Kaitlin Olson showed support for Blake Lively during her legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni. Olson took to Instagram on December 26, 2024, to share the article from the New York Times about Lively's misconduct complaint. In the caption, she called Lively a "kind, lovely, honest, and generous person" as well as an "incredible mom."
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni: Timeline of the $400 million lawsuit
The legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni began in December 2024. It has since evolved into a complex and high-profile case involving allegations of serious misconduct, defamation, and extortion.
Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni in December 2024 at the California Civil Rights Department. She alleged that Justin Baldoni made s*xual comments and broke boundaries throughout their work on It Ends With Us.
She claimed that Baldoni improvised kissing scenes during filming and made unwelcome physical advances. According to the Gossip Girl actress, Baldoni paid a public relations firm to smear her name as payback for her complaints.
Lively took legal action in a federal court and accused Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and two of his PR employees of s*xual harassment and retaliation on December 31, 2024. She claimed that Baldoni and his team organized a smear campaign against her after she complained about sexual harassment while filming.
Justin Baldoni took legal action against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane on January 16, 2025. He asked for $400 million because he claimed they defamed him, demanded money through extortion, and invaded his privacy.
He alleged that Lively threatened to make up charges of s*xual harassment and leave the project to take over creative control of the film. Justin Baldoni claimed that Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane teamed up to damage his reputation and disrupt his career.
The court will hear the case in March 2026. Until then, both sides have shown up in public and made comments.
Rob McElhenney and Reynolds continue to celebrate their success with the Wrexham A.F.C. soccer team and their FX documentary series, Welcome to Wrexham.
