“Backlash Explodes After Ryan Reynolds Makes Bizarre ‘Punching Vasectomy’ Joke About Son with Blake Lively — Fans Divided Over Whether the Actor Went Too Far or Was Just Being ‘Ryan’ Again”
Hollywood heartthrob and beloved jokester Ryan Reynolds is known for his razor-sharp wit, sarcastic charm, and unpredictable one-liners — but his latest attempt at humor may have backfired in a way even Deadpool couldn’t heal.
During a recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Reynolds, 48, was discussing the chaos of parenting four young children with wife Blake Lively, when the topic of their youngest — and only son — Olin, came up. While joking about how different the experience has been compared to raising their three daughters, Reynolds quipped that if he had welcomed boys first, he would have given himself a “punching vasectomy.”
“If I had like three boys at first, I would never — there’s no way. I’d give myself a punching vasectomy,” Reynolds said with a smirk, drawing laughter from the studio audience.
But outside the late-night set, not everyone was laughing.
The phrase “punching vasectomy” quickly began trending across social media platforms, with many fans and critics calling the remark “disturbing,” “reckless,” and “unnecessary.” Critics argue the joke trivializes medical procedures, promotes harmful stereotypes about boys being unmanageable, and uses unnecessarily violent language in the context of family planning.
“This is the kind of careless humor that reinforces toxic masculinity,” one X (formerly Twitter) user posted. “Why does raising boys = chaos, and why joke about hurting yourself over it?”
Others took issue with how the joke subtly framed parenting sons as a burden. “It sends a weird message,” another user commented. “It’s not just about the vasectomy. It’s saying boys are so wild, you’d physically harm yourself to avoid having them.”
Still, many of Reynolds’ loyal fans defended the actor, insisting his brand of humor has always been edgy and self-deprecating — and that the line was clearly a joke, not a literal suggestion or statement of regret.
“This is Ryan Reynolds we’re talking about,” one fan wrote on Instagram. “The guy whose whole thing is saying outrageous stuff with a wink. Come on, people.”
Reynolds has not responded publicly to the backlash, and neither has Blake Lively, who’s known to both support and occasionally playfully roast her husband online. The couple, often admired for their low-key parenting style and commitment to keeping their kids’ lives private, has typically avoided engaging in social media drama.
This latest controversy, however, adds to a growing cultural conversation around what types of humor are acceptable in 2025, especially when it comes from high-profile celebrities with massive platforms.
With some fans calling for an apology and others brushing it off as classic Reynolds sarcasm, the incident highlights the ongoing debate between freedom of expression and social responsibility in comedy.
Whether you view the joke as hilarious, harmful, or somewhere in between, one thing is clear: even in jest, parenting — and how we talk about it — remains a deeply sensitive subject in the public eye.
For now, Ryan Reynolds remains silent. But in today’s digital age, silence often speaks louder than punchlines.
