Ryan Reynolds Is Shunning ‘SNL’ to Dodge Ex-Wife Scarlett Johansson and Her Husband Colin Jost

Ryan Reynolds has only hosted Saturday Night Live once, 15 years ago – and he is in no hurry to change that. An insider exclusively reveals to In Touch that by Ryan not hosting the famous sketch comedy show, it avoids an awkward encounter with his ex-wife Scarlett Johansson’s current husband Colin Jost.

“I’d say pride is the big reason Ryan has steered clear of hosting SNL for so many years. The one time he hosted a decade and a half ago he was surrounded by a cast that were true peers of his, in the Kristen Wiig/Bill Hader/Fred Armisen era, and now the show is fronted by a cast that includes actors twenty years younger than him,” the source says

The insider continues, “Even for a guy with Ryan’s youthful energy, that’s a little too far outside his comfort zone. But there’s also the Colin Jost factor. It’s no secret in Hollywood that Colin wields an enormous amount of influence behind the scenes of that show, beyond just being a high-powered writer, senior cast member and Update ​coanchor. Colin is angling to eventually run the whole thing when that opportunity presents itself.”

Plus, the source adds that “Scarlett is a regular presence at the show’s wrap parties and through her once-in-a-while surprise cameos. It’s territory in the show business landscape that Ryan has basically surrendered to them as a power couple.”

On top of that, the insider says that Ryan, 47, “has a pretty big ego about his own comedy writing chops,” and he wants things “to happen on his own terms and not somebody else’s and especially not Scarlett and Colin’s.”

Ryan and Scarlett, 39, first began dating in 2007, shortly after the Deadpool star split from his then-fiancée Alanis Morissette. People reported that the couple was engaged in May 2008.

“They’re both thrilled,” Scarlett’s rep told the outlet at the time.

The Black Widow star and Ryan wed just a few months later on September 27, 2008. Both Ryan and Scarlett kept their relationship out of the media for the majority of their relationship, and in December 2010, they released a statement announcing their split.

“After long and careful consideration on both our parts, we’ve decided to end our marriage,” the statement to People read. “We entered our relationship with love, and it’s with love and kindness we leave it. While privacy isn’t expected, it’s certainly appreciated.”

Since then, Ryan went on to marry Gossip Girl alum Blake Lively in 2012, and they now share three children together.

Scarlett began dating French journalist Romain Dauriac in early 2013, and they welcomed a daughter, Rose, in August 2014. The couple tied the knot on October 1 of that same year, but by 2017, they had gone their separate ways. While Colin, 41, and Scarlett met in 2006 when she hosted SNL for the first time, they didn’t officially start dating until May 2017. They eventually wed in 2020 and welcomed a son, Cosmo, in 2021.