Ryan Reynolds Quip At SNL’s 50th Anniversary Special Surprises Attorney For Some Reason
Not all lawyers have the best sense of humor. The post Ryan Reynolds Quip At SNL’s 50th Anniversary Special Surprises Attorney For Some Reason appeared first on Above the Law.
SNL’s 50th anniversary has spawned a lot of commentary. A good bit of it was about them bringing back Black Jeopardy. As great as Tracy Morgan was as Darius, Eddie Murphy as Tracy Morgan stole the show. 4 Cheese Lasagna or nothing! Other commentary has been less appetizing, namely Brian Freedman’s remarks on a quick joke Ryan Reynolds during the taping. People has coverage:
In one moment during the show, Reynolds seemingly referenced their headline-making lawsuits with [Justin] Baldoni when he was asked from the stage, “How’s it going?” and the actor, with [Blake] Lively seated beside him, responded, “Great, why? What have you heard?” before moving on with the bit.
…
“I’m unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation,” said [Baldoni’s attorney, Brian] Freedman. “I can’t think of anyone who’s done anything like that. It surprised me.”
First things first, it isn’t like he made some grand joke. “Great, what have you heard?” is “Get a load of this guy”‘s tongue-in-cheek and heavily decaffeinated cousin, not a 15 minute cold open on his wife’s court proceedings. On top of that, it makes perfect sense for a high profile celebrity to make a quick nod toward the public scrutiny they’ve been under so that they can get the audience focused on why they’re actually there: to do their jobs. It’s easy to get caught up in the fame and glitz, but on some level this was just a live streamed employee who, knowing that the audience heard about their legal troubles, decided to break the 4th wall and say “Lawyers, can’t live with ’em, can definitely live without em!” before straightening his tie and carrying on with his PowerPoint presentation. Not to mention that Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool, after all — 4th wall breaks are kind of his thing.
Second…can some junior associate quietly inform Brian that dark humor is a thing? Even if Reynolds or Lively made the decision to allude to the trial in stronger terms, it should generally be read in bad form to spin a clearly signaled self-deprecating joke as an excuse to discredit someone’s truthfulness in court. Further, if someone who was sexually harassed or supported their spouse who was did decide to go on and do a 15 cold open, more power to them so long as all of the parties involved consent. Humor can provide catharsis and community for some of the worst things that can happen to people — sexual assault included.
Congratulations to everyone that helped make SNL’s 50th year special a hit with its viewers. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it! And a suggestion to Brian Freedman — watch your mouth. Seriously, the judge already told you to shut up. Focus on the case instead of scrutinizing jokes. There have been several lawyers who managed a pivot from legal to comedy, but I get the feeling that jokes aren’t your forte.
Earlier: Benchslapped! Federal Judge Does Not Take Kindly To Litigation Via Press Release
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
The post Ryan Reynolds Quip At SNL’s 50th Anniversary Special Surprises Attorney For Some Reason appeared first on Above the Law.
