Ryan Reynolds Reacts to Critics Choice Award Win After Skipping Ceremony Amid Blake Lively’s Legal Battle

Watch:Critics Choice Awards: Why Chelsea Handler Thanked Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni for the Distraction

Ryan Reynolds‘ presence at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards would have been a marvelous occurrence.

Alas, the actor with many irons in the fire chose to skip the Feb. 7 ceremony at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., in favor of being elsewhere. 

But he did acknowledge Deadpool & Wolverine‘s shared win for Best Comedy Award with A Real Pain, posting on his Instagram, “Zing! Thanks @criticschoice — whole team @deadpoolmovie is thrilled. But wait a minute. Swipe [to the next slide] Huge congrats to @arealpainfilm.”

He initially reposted the @deadpool movie account to his Instagram Story: “Hughlarious,” read the caption. “Congratulations to the cast and crew of #DeadpoolAndWolverine on their Critics Choice Awards win for Best Comedy! #CriticsChoice.” (See the full list of 2025 Critics Choice Awards winners.)

It would have been a surprise to see Reynolds at the show in any case this year, what with him being so busy buying another soccer team (Club Deportivo Seguros La Equidad in Bogotá, Colombia, with Wrexham partner Rob McElhenney and others), making his 100th Mint Mobile commercial and otherwise going about his daily business. Which, per a Feb. 7 Instagram post, included sharing the stage with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Creative Artists Agency CEO Bryan Lourd at a JP Morgan summit.

“Those boys are SHARP,” Reynolds wrote. “Surprised to discover my mom there. She wanted to see Iger.”

Though his attendance at the awards show would also have been a bit surprising due to his wife Blake Lively‘s ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni—which made it into host Chelsea Handler‘s monologue—that couldn’t help but involve Reynolds eventually.

photos
Critics Choice Awards 2025: What You Didn’t See on TV

But there was no reason not to be super proud of Deadpool & Wolverine, which made more than $1.3 billion at the box office last year.

Ryan Reynolds/Instagram

The hard-R action comedy—which in addition to Hugh Jackman starred Channing Tatum, Emma Corrin and Leslie Uggams—faced off against A Real Pain, Hit Man, My Old Ass, Saturday Night and Thelma in the Best Comedy category.

While the win was a nice moment, the Marvel franchise has previously made Reynolds a big winner at the Critics Choice Awards, which was hosted for the third straight year by Handler. Back in 2016, the Aviation Gin mogul took home two trophies for the comic book movie’s first installment: Best Comedy Film and Best Actor in a Comedy Film. 

“Thank you, I genuinely was not expecting this,” he said on stage at the time. “I prepared nothing, so I’m just going to focus on Tom Hanks.”

photos
Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni’s It Ends With Us Legal Battle: A Timeline

Earlier this month, the Just Friends actor also proved he’ll stand by more than Jackman’s side, putting on a united front and sharing a sweet selfie with Lively on Instagram. After all, Ryan has been candid about how being each other’s cheerleader is one of the secrets to their long-lasting marriage.

“As I’m rooting for her, I know she’s rooting for me,” Ryan told People in a May 2024 interview, “and it’s why we’re so connected.”

For more stars who won big at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, keep reading:

Best Picture

A Complete Unknown

WINNER: Anora

The Brutalist

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

Nickel Boys

Sing Sing

The Substance

Wicked

Best Actor – Film

WINNER: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist

Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown

Daniel Craig – Queer

Colman Domingo – Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

Hugh Grant – Heretic

Best Actress – Film

Cynthia Erivo – Wicked

Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez

Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths

Angelina Jolie – Maria

Mikey Madison – Anora

WINNER: Demi Moore – The Substance

Best Supporting Actor – Film

Yura Borisov – Anora

WINNER: Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain

Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing

Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce – The Brutalist

Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Supporting Actress – Film

Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys

Ariana Grande – Wicked

Margaret Qualley – The Substance

Isabella Rossellini – Conclave

WINNER: Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

Best Comedy Film

TIED WINNERS: A Real Pain

TIED WINNERS: Deadpool & Wolverine

Hit Man

My Old Ass

Saturday Night

Thelma

Best Young Actor/Actress

Alyla Browne – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Elliott Heffernan – Blitz

WINNER: Maisy Stella – My Old Ass

Izaac Wang – Didi

Alisha Weir – Abigail

Zoe Ziegler – Janet Planet

Best Acting Ensemble

Anora

WINNER: Conclave

Emilia Pérez

Saturday Night

Sing Sing

Wicked

Best Song

“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Miley Cyrus

“Compress / Repress” – Challengers – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

WINNER: “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Camille

“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Kristen Wiig

“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Maren Morris

“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Selena Gomez

Best Drama Series

The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)

The Diplomat (Netflix)

Evil (Paramount+)

Industry (HBO | Max)

Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

The Old Man (FX)

WINNER: Shogun (FX / Hulu)

Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Jeff Bridges – The Old Man (FX)

Ncuti Gatwa – Doctor Who (Disney+)

Eddie Redmayne – The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)

WINNER: Hiroyuki Sanada – Shogun (FX / Hulu)

Rufus Sewell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

Antony Starr – The Boys (Prime Video)

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Caitriona Balfe – Outlander (Starz)

WINNER: Kathy Bates – Matlock (CBS)

Shanola Hampton – Found (NBC)

Keira Knightley – Black Doves (Netflix)

Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

Anna Sawai – Shogun (FX / Hulu) 

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

WINNER: Tadanobu Asano – Shogun (FX / Hulu)

Michael Emerson – Evil (Paramount+)

Mark-Paul Gosselaar – Found (NBC)

Takehiro Hira – Shogun (FX / Hulu)

John Lithgow – The Old Man (FX)

Sam Reid – Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

WINNER: Moeka Hoshi – Shogun (FX / Hulu)

Allison Janney – The Diplomat (Netflix)

Nicole Kidman – Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+)

Skye P. Marshall – Matlock (CBS)

Anna Sawai – Pachinko (Apple TV+)

Fiona Shaw – Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)

Best Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

English Teacher (FX)

WINNER: Hacks (HBO | Max)

Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)

St. Denis Medical (NBC)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Brian Jordan Alvarez – English Teacher (FX)

WINNER: Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

David Alan Grier – St. Denis Medical (NBC)

Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Kayvan Novak – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Natasia Demetriou – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Bridget Everett – Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)

WINNER: Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO | Max)

Kristen Wiig – Palm Royale (Apple TV+) 

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Paul W. Downs – Hacks (HBO | Max)

Asher Grodman – Ghosts (CBS)

Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Brandon Scott Jones – Ghosts (CBS)

WINNER: Michael Urie – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Liza Colón-Zayas – The Bear (FX / Hulu)

WINNER: Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (HBO | Max)

Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Stephanie Koenig – English Teacher (FX)

Patti LuPone – Agatha All Along (Disney+)

Annie Potts – Young Sheldon (CBS)

Best Limited Series

WINNER: Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Masters of the Air (Apple TV+)

Mr Bates vs the Post Office (PBS)

The Penguin (HBO | Max)

Ripley (Netflix)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made For Television

WINNER: Colin Farrell – The Penguin (HBO | Max)

Richard Gadd – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Tom Hollander – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

Kevin Kline – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Ewan McGregor – A Gentleman in Moscow (Paramount+)

Andrew Scott – Ripley (Netflix) 

Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Cate Blanchett – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Jodie Foster – True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)

Jessica Lange – The Great Lillian Hall (HBO | Max)

WINNER: Cristin Milioti – The Penguin (HBO | Max)

Phoebe-Rae Taylor – Out of My Mind (Disney+)

Naomi Watts – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Robert Downey Jr. – The Sympathizer (HBO | Max)

Hugh Grant – The Regime (HBO | Max)

Ron Cephas Jones – Genius: MLK/X (National Geographic)

Logan Lerman – We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu)

WINNER: Liev Schreiber – The Perfect Couple (Netflix)

Treat Williams – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made For Television

Dakota Fanning – Ripley (Netflix)

Leila George – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Betty Gilpin – Three Women (Starz)

WINNER: Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Deirdre O’Connell – The Penguin (HBO | Max)

Kali Reis – True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *