Ryan Reynolds' Johnny Cash and Johnny Carson Death Joke Sparks Backlash

Ryan Reynolds went on Late Night with Seth Meyers to hype his new John Candy documentary and told a dark little elevator story. It was supposed to be funny. It was not received that way.

The joke that started it

While promoting the doc, 'John Candy: I Like Me', Reynolds shared that he once ran into Johnny Carson and Johnny Cash in the same week, in elevators, and then both men died not long after. He turned it into a bit about maybe being the bad luck charm. It landed awkwardly in the room and even worse online.

'I crossed paths, no joke, in an elevator in one week with Johnny Carson and Johnny Cash... and I don't know. They both passed shortly after. I may have caused that. I don't know. If there was a third, I would maybe ask some follow-up.'

Seth Meyers tried to defuse it with a tag about people calling Reynolds the 'reaper of the elevator.' Social media did not go with the save.

Fans were not amused

Reynolds is known for quick, sarcastic humor, but this one bugged people because it hangs on two real deaths. The reaction rolled in fast and loud, with plenty calling it tone-deaf or just unnecessary. Others argued he was obviously joking and everyone should relax. The split was pretty stark.

• Oct 26, 2025: The clip makes the rounds and the replies pile up. A user named @LingoUnbound posted: 'can we just cancel him or something already.' @EwenCamero87818 added: 'He's not funny. One of Canada's worst exports.' @skynet_dreams chimed in with: 'He's so annoying.' Another account, @Jay_OnHere, reacted with a meme image. The general vibe: too dark, not worth the punchline.
• Ongoing: Some fans defend him as clearly kidding, others say the joke crosses that line between edgy and disrespectful. Not the first time his brand of humor has raised eyebrows, but this particular topic hit a nerve.
• Context: This little flare-up is arriving just as the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni lawsuit noise has cooled down. Different controversy, same last name in the headlines.

About that TIFF moment

This is also not Reynolds' only recent PR bruise. Back on Sept 5 at TIFF (for the same John Candy doc), a video went viral of him talking with a kid reporter named Liam. The kid said hello; Reynolds cut straight to: 'Hi, what's the question?' and then, 'Let's skip to the question.' He did try to lighten it later, joking he would send a 'strongly worded letter' about the boy's breakfast-food question. Some viewers read it as standard Reynolds banter. Others saw it as dismissive, especially with a child doing the interview.

Where this leaves him

Reynolds is doing the press tour thing while his wife is caught up in a separate legal back-and-forth with Justin Baldoni, so, yes, there is pressure. Still, the overall read from a lot of people is that the elevator bit was a miss. It was a joke. It also landed with a thud. If you are going to flirt with the grim stuff, you usually need the room with you. This time, the room logged off.