Ryan Reynolds Refers to Himself as “Mr. Lively” While Accepting an Emmy Award—In a Deadpool Mask

(Image credit: Getty)

published 9 January 2024

Ryan Reynolds may be an actor, an entrepreneur, Deadpool, and even a former Sexiest Man Alive—but he wants to make sure the world knows that, in his words, he’s also proudly Mr. [Blake] Lively.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively at the Met

Welcome to Wrexham—the show about Reynolds’ and Rob McElhenney’s joint ownership of the Welch association football club Wrexham A.F.C.—won an impressive five awards at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys. While Reynolds "wasn’t at Sunday’s ceremony" (cough, cough) Deadpool—Reynolds’ beloved Marvel character—made an appearance to accept the award (the look included his Deadpool mask and a suit and tie).

“Wow, Mr. Lively couldn’t be here to accept this broken Emmy, so he sent me on his behalf,” Reynolds said in a speech shared via Instagram (and per Us Weekly). “First and foremost, Wrexham, we love you. Thank you for letting Rob and the other guy tell your story. Cymru am byth [Wales forever], b—tches. I’d also like to thank the Academy for this honor and for not asking us to attend the televised awards show with the real celebrities.” (If you’re wondering what he means by “broken Emmy,” he appeared while holding Hugh Jackman’s broken Emmy in his hand. There’s a lot going on here.)

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively walking on the street

Reynolds continued referring to himself as “Mr. Lively,” a sweet nod to his wife, whom he has been married to since 2012 and with whom he shares four kids. Reynolds and Lively sneak in occasional sweet moments towards one another but are more known for playfully roasting one another on social media, which they do with aplomb.

At the Creative Arts Emmys, Welcome to Wrexham took home the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program Award, as well as awards for Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program, Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera), and Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program.

“Wow, an Emmy—what an incredible honor,” McElhenney said during his part of the virtual acceptance speech. “There are so many people to thank. I have been waiting for this moment for 16 years, so I’ve got a lot to say.”

And McElhenney got to say exactly none of it, as he was then interrupted by Reynolds in his Deadpool mask.

Welcome to Wrexham premiered in 2022, about two years after Reynolds and McElhenney bought the team in 2020. The show chronicles the team’s trials and tribulations as a low-level soccer team in Wales and its rise all the way up to (spoiler alert) the club’s promotion to the English Football League (a big deal) for the first time in 15 years. “Rob and I kind of blacked out during this moment, but somehow we’ll never forget it,” Reynolds—I mean Mr. Lively—said on Instagram in April 2023 when Wrexham won the national league championship.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.