Ryan Reynolds Urged Blake Lively to Settle Justin Baldoni Lawsuit for 'Over a Year' as It Was 'Damaging' His Career: Source

Ryan Reynolds reportedly placed pressure on Blake Lively to reach a settlement with Justin Baldoni.

According to a Friday, May 8, NewsNation report, the father-of-four, 49, spent “over a year” convincing his wife to put an end to her sexual harassment and defamation claims against her It Ends With Us costar, 42.

“Ryan had been after her to settle for over a year,” a source dished. “The lawsuit ruined her career and was damaging his. Badly.”

Lively’s career reportedly suffered amid her legal battle, as Hollywood agents “loath to work with litigious actresses who cause them to go over budget.”

Former Hollywood director Fran Weinstein told NewsNation, “At the moment, I believe that Blake is persona non grata. They don’t want to go near that fire for a while.”

Lively issued 13 claims against Baldoni, including sexual harassment and defamation. Ten of those claims were dismissed by a judge, leaving only retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract.

“Two more charges were likely to be dismissed, and then there would have been only one minor charge left,” another insider explained. “To litigate that would have been even more damaging to her reputation. A lot of discovery and arguing for what? Not much. She’s already lost in the court of public opinion.”

“It was, all around, a lose/lose for Blake from the very beginning,” the source added. “She started off strong with the piece in the New York Times, but then [Baldoni] fought back, hard, and released all of his information publicly on the website [thelawsuitinfo.com], and the tide almost immediately turned. The public didn’t see that he’d done anything wrong, and in fact, it looked very much like Blake bulldozed him.”

On Monday, May 4, Wayfarer lawyers Bryan Freedman and Ellyn Garofalo, along with Lively's attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, revealed the celebs reached a settlement — just two weeks before they were scheduled to go to trial in New York.

"The end product — the movie It Ends With Us — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life," their statement read. "Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind."

"We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments," the message continued. "It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online."

Baldoni had also filed a countersuit against the blonde beauty, but it was dismissed.

Just hours after the news broke, Lively, 38, made a surprise appearance at the Met Gala and even sat at Anna Wintour’s table.

“Blake is very, very close with Bee [Carrozzini], Anna Wintour’s daughter,” a source explained to an outlet. “They have dinner at each other’s houses, and through Bee, Anna has gotten to know Blake and likes her very much.”