Ryan Reynolds Reacts to Martha Stewart Saying He Is Not Funny: ‘Valid’

Ryan Reynolds knows that Martha Stewart doesn’t think he’s funny — and he’s just fine with that.

“If you can’t take a punch in this business, you’re in trouble,” Reynolds, 48, said when The Hollywood Reporter asked if Stewart’s criticism hurt his feelings in a feature published on Friday, December 13. “But why would people ever assume the way they see you on camera is how you’re going to be in real life? Right? You’re just a person. But I do it, too. I’m a fan of people and I love certain people’s work, and I’m thinking when I meet them, I want to see little glimpses of that.”

He emphasized that there are no hard feelings nor does he think the lifestyle mogul meant to be malicious. “I don’t think what happened was designed to hurt anyone,” the Deadpool actor added. “That was just an incredibly valid observation that someone made. Lots of people would say I’m very serious if they met me. I can’t imagine entering any room in which I don’t intimately know the people, where I suddenly kind of turn on and perform.”

Stewart, 83, appeared as a guest on Bilt Rewards’ Rent Free game show last month and was asked which celebrities she thought Bilt members named as “the most fun to hang out with.” She was surprised to hear Reynolds made the cut.

“He’s probably on the list just ‘cause he covers himself up in his movies and you don’t see his face — Ryan Reynolds, is he one of those?” Stewart said. “And you want to know something? He’s not so funny in real life. No, he’s not so funny. He’s very serious.”

She added, “He’s a good actor. He can act funny, but he isn’t funny. Maybe he can get to be funny again.”

Stewart said she was “going to get in trouble” since the actor is one of her neighbors.

After her comments went viral, Reynolds quickly issued a playful response via X: “I’d disagree with her. But I tried that once. The woman is unexpectedly spry. She really closed the gap after a mile or so,” he wrote.

During his conversation with THR one month later, Reynolds explained that when he isn’t in the spotlight, he’s not as gregarious as one might expect.

“I’ve always been one to be very quiet, and part of that is anxiety I’ve carried with me since I was a kid,” he said. “And at times it’s very normal for anyone and everyone to experience anxiety. Some people’s anxiety, and I include mine, has a tendency to go down a slippery slope that needs to be managed to some degree. I grew up with a man, my father, Jim Reynolds, who would not say a word about anything that touched on vulnerability. But yes, I’ve always been much more shy around people that I don’t know unless I’m stepping out on a stage.”

Reynolds has been open about his mental health and explained that his own struggles help him be a good father.

“I think [anxiety] makes it better because your focus is less on yourself and more on your kids,” Reynolds told Deadpool & Wolverine costar Hugh Jackman during a joint People interview published in May.

“I love that I’ve had anxiety,” he shared. “Because when I see my kids experiencing some of that, which is probably genetic, I know how to address it in a way that is compassionate [and] that actually allows them to feel seen. I know that I can’t just fix it. And I can communicate all that stuff to them and with them. I’m always grateful for it.”