The History Of Hugh Jackman And Ryan Reynolds’ Faux Feud Explained

Bette Davis vs. Joan Crawford, Sylvester Stallone vs. Richard Gere, and Dwayne Johnson vs. Vin Diesel are some of the biggest known rivalries in the history of Hollywood, but few have been half as entertaining as the Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds “feud” that has played out over interviews, in movies, and social media posts for more than a decade now. This long-standing faux feud between two of today’s best actors (and pranksters) has been off and on over the years, has reached insanely entertaining heights, and has even been used for good on several occasions.

Whether you’re familiar with the war the frenemies have waged against one another or this is all news to you, buckle up because we’re about to break down how the “feud” started, some of its biggest moments, and lastly where it stands at this time (at least until the two find something else to add to the seemingly never-ending saga).

Hugh Jackman And Ryan Reynolds Met And Quickly Started Ribbing Each Other On The Set Of X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Like any classic Hollywood feud, the rivalry between Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds began on the set of a movie, specifically 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And also like many of history’s feuds between leading men, this one started out over a girl (but not in the way you’re thinking). During a 2020 interview with The Daily Beast, Jackman opened up about his “feud” with Reynolds, explaining that it all started when the Wolverine actor approached the future Deadpool star and told him to be good to his then-wife Scarlett Johansson:

Little did either man know at the time but they were at the beginning of a shared history, one that is honestly more entertaining than their first (but not last) movie together.

Ryan Reynolds Imitated Hugh Jackman In November 2015 To Remind Fans To Vote For People’s Sexiest Man Alive

In November 2015, Ryan Reynolds did his best to help (or hinder, depending on where you stand) Hugh Jackman, who was up for People Magazine’s Sexist Man Alive competition (the Wolverine actor previously won it in 2008; two years before the magazine gave it to Reynolds in 2010) by posting a video of himself in his Deadpool makeup giving his best (or worst) impression of his longtime friend/tormentor:

In case you were wondering, English soccer legend David Beckham, and not Hugh Jackman or Ryan Reynolds, was named People Magazine’s Sexist Man Alive in 2015.

Hugh Jackman Took Several Digs At His ‘Enemy’ When Ryan Reynolds Was Honored On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame In December 2016

A little more than a year after Ryan Reynolds poked fun at Hugh Jackman with the People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive voting, Jackman returned the “favor” with a special tweet in honor of Reynolds receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in which he wore a paper mask of his friend’s face and went on a tear:

From calling out Ryan Reynolds’ involvement in the heavily derided 2011 DC Comics movie Green Lantern to telling people to urinate on the actor’s section of the sidewalk, this brief yet hilarious video has everything you’d want from the ongoing faux feud.

In November 2018, Ryan Reynolds And Hugh Jackman Made Fake Political Ads About Each Other

In November 2018, Hugh Jackman was receiving award consideration for his portrayal of Senator Gary Hart in Jason Reitman’s political drama The Front Runner. When Ryan Reynolds caught wind of this, he thought he would help out his old friend in the best possible way: a fake political ad shedding light on the “truth” of Jackman’s history, both on and off the screen, in this hilarious Twitter video:

Later that month, Hugh Jackman responded with a political ad of his own on Twitter. This 48-second montage of clips, sinister music, and “facts” about how Ryan Reynolds rode his X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star’s coat tails also served as a great way to raise awareness for the Fuck Cancer charity:

This back-and-forth took the rivalry, and friendship, to the next level.

In December 2018, Ryan Reynolds Said He Didn’t Have A Rivalry With Hugh Jackman, It Was A ‘War’

While a lot of the ongoing “feud” between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman has played out over social media, the Deadpool star took to The Ellen Show in December 2018 where he was asked about the nature of their friendship and if they’ll ever share the screen as the two Marvel Comics characters again. Taking the opportunity to take yet another dig at his longtime friend, Reynolds had this to say:

This “war,” however, appeared to be nearing the end of its run. Or was it?

The Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman Social Media War Looked Like It Was Over In January 2019

Just one month after Ryan Reynolds told Ellen DeGeneres he was at “war” with Hugh Jackman, the two pals called a truce in their great war when Reynolds said he was going to make a “beautiful ad” for Jackman’s Laughing Man Coffee on Twitter.

But as anyone familiar with the never-ending back-and-forth between the pair, the “feud” between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman was anything but over. I guess a cup of coffee can’t fix everything.

Ryan Reynolds Called Hugh Jackman A ‘Fraud” And ‘Evil Person’ In December 2019

Well, the shaky truce between the two warring friends was short-lived and the two found themselves at odds again in December 2019, when Ryan Reynolds had this to say about Hugh Jackman when promoting 6 Underground on Today Show Australia:

Not one to be called a fraud, especially in his home country, Hugh Jackman took the fight back to social media when he posted an Instagram picture of Wolverine with Deadpool on his middle claw and a caption reading: “Who you callin’ a fraud?”

An April 2020 Cease-Fire Brought A Temporary End To The Long-Standing Feud

In April 2020, as the world was dealing with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman put their “feud” on hold and teamed up to battle food insecurity through the All In Challenge, creating a video that is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming:

The video, which was making lemonade out of lemons, also happened to give donors the opportunity to have the pair come help them build a lemonade stand of their own.

Hugh Jackman And Ryan Reynolds Used Their ‘Feud’ To Help Their Charities In November 2020

In November 2020, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds decided to partner with Sam’s Club to turn their ongoing “feud” into a good cause for their respective charities (Laughing Man Foundation and SickKids Foundation) and kids in need of some holiday cheer after one of the most taxing years in modern history. Together, the pair created this:

And while both of the charities received equal contributions from Sam’s Club, Hugh Jackman was given yet another opportunity to hold something over Ryan Reynolds’ head when he was named the winner just before Christmas 2020.

Despite Teaming Up For Charity, Ryan Reynolds And Hugh Jackman’s Faux Feud Resumed In December 2020

Ryan Reynolds, not being one for letting Hugh Jackman celebrate his victory too much, took to Aviation American Gin’s (his spirits company) social media channels to get a little revenge on his friend:

What initially appears to be a nice recipe for the holidays quickly turns into another dig at Hugh Jackman when you notice the line “Anything but LaughingMan,” Jackman’s coffee company.

Hugh Jackman And Ryan Reynolds Put Their ‘Feud’ On Pause Again In May 2021 To Make A Kid’s Day

By May 2021 it looked like the great Hugh Jackman-Ryan Reynolds “Feud” was on pause once again when the pair teamed up to take a picture with a young boy at afternoon pickup at a New York City school. After the boy’s mom posted the image to Instagram, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds quickly shared the image on their Instagram stories:

The shocked expression on the kid’s face could be because of running into two of Hollywood’s biggest actors or it could be because he found himself being a sign of peace between the two. You decide.

Hugh Jackman Called Out Placement Of Ryan Reynolds’ Red Notice Poster In NYC In December 2021

Though it seemed like Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman put an end to their feud to help out a young fan in May 2021, it was nothing more than a brief ceasefire, as the two sides found themselves at odds once more by year’s end. In December 2021, just before Hugh Jackman was about to take the stage for the Broadway production of The Music Man, the Tony Award winner took to Twitter to call out his X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star for the placement of the Red Notice posters hanging just above the theater where he was to perform:

In the brief video, Jackman proclaimed that Reynolds could have picked any location in or near Times Square to promote the 2021 Netflix movie, but instead picked the one location where the Wolverine actor was about to perform. 

Ryan Reynolds Gave Pictures Of Himself To Hugh Jackman For Music Man Opening In February 2022

Two months later, Ryan Reynolds decided to poke fun at Hugh Jackman once again, this time on the night Jackman was to kick off his run for The Music Man in February 2022. In an Instagram post, Jackman explained that he had “the most amazing friends” who sent him flowers, champagne, and well wishes, but then there was Reynolds who sent the following pictures of himself for the Broadway star:

Once again, Reynolds found a new, clever, and hilarious way of trolling his longtime frenemy and managed to turn the attention from Jackman on what was supposed to be his big night. And the best part was the note at the bottom right-hand corner of the first picture of Reynolds, which read: “Hugh, good luck with your little show. I’ll be watching.” 

Ryan Reynolds And Hugh Jackman Confirmed Deadpool 3 Reunion In September 2022

Despite their differences over the years (and a fight to the death at the end of X-Men Origins: Wolverine) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman let bygones be bygones (temporarily, at least) in September 2022 when the duo shocked literally everyone on the internet with a surprise announcement regarding Deadpool 3 with a pair of videos on Twitter:

If the first video — which saw Reynolds sitting on a couch and talking about the movie while Jackman walked up a flight of stairs after being asked if he wanted to play Wolverine one last time — left the reunion uncertain, the second video attempted to clear things up regarding the future of the two fan-favorite Marvel characters, but not by much, as seen on Twitter:

As the pair, now sitting on a couch, began to explain how the situation was going to work following Wolverine’s death during the Logan ending, the Wham! track “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” began to play, completely overpowering what Reynolds and Jackman were saying. But worry not, because the Jomboy Twitter account, which provides incredible lip-reading videos of sporting events, rose to the occasion with a pretty epic breakdown of the video. Suppose we’ll have to wait to find out what will happen for sure when Deadpool 3 opens September 6, 2024.

Well, that is where we leave things with the Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds “feud.” Judging by the pair’s track record, it’s safe to say we’ll soon have even more additions to his list of battles in the ongoing war of Hollywood pals. But as the world eagerly awaits to see the pair share the screen once again in one of the most anticipated upcoming Marvel movies, the frenemies have a busy 2022 movie schedule, with Jackman starring in the Oscar hopeful The Son and Reynolds appearing alongside Will Ferrell in Spirited.