United Kingdom, Feb. 20 -- Ryan Reynolds reportedly pitched his 'Saturday Night Live' joke about Justin Baldoni.

The 48-year-old actor appeared to reference the director's ongoing legal lawsuit with Ryan's wife Blake Lively during the 'SNL 50' anniversary special over the weekend, and the show's cue card handler Wally Feresten has claimed the joke was star's own idea.

He told the 'Fif, Fev and Nick' podcast: "He had a different line in rehearsal and he pitched that to replace it.

"That was his idea... We wouldn't want to do anything too controversial unless they were in on it."

Sources close to the actor and NBC have denied the claims to the New York Post, but neither have issued a public statement.

During the show, Ryan - who was sa...