Fans Think Ryan Reynolds’ New Commercial Contains a Dig at Scooter Braun

Ryan Reynolds released an ad featuring Taylor Swift's new recording of "Love Story"—and fans think it makes reference to Swift's conflict with Scooter Braun.

Don't you love a bit of detective work of a Thursday morning? (Or, in this case, reviewing the solid detective work performed by others?) Taylor Swift's highly attentive fanbase have a new and compelling theory, as People reports: that Ryan Reynolds made a subtle dig at Scooter Braun, who's embroiled in an ongoing conflict with Swift over his purchase and subsequent sale of her masters, in his latest commercial.

Let's unpack: On Thursday, Ryan Reynolds released a new ad for Match, which appropriately depicts the charming love story between Satan and (a person named) 2020. The commercial, Swift subsequently confirmed on Twitter, is soundtracked by a new recording of one of her earliest hits, "Love Story."

Swift is in the process of re-recording her first six albums, after celebrity manager Braun purchased then resold the master recordings for a reported $300 million. And since Swift is close friends with both Ryan Reynolds and wife Blake Lively, it makes sense that she'd allow Reynolds to use a sneak peek of her first re-record in his commercial.

See more

In the commercial, Satan and 2020 pose for a selfie in front of a dumpster fire—again, an accurate representation of the past year. Here's where fans detected the Braun reference: In the background, next to another dumpster, a discarded scooter lies on the floor. Get it? Scooter? What's more, painted on the wall behind the scooter is the number 6—as in the six albums Swift is currently re-recording. Thus, the hypothesis: Either Ryan Reynolds inserted a reference to Scooter Braun in a commercial about the chaos and misery of 2020, as an apparent show of support for Taylor Swift, or Reynolds and Swift teamed up on the commercial to make a joint dig at Braun.

Swift's fans expressed delight at the reference on Twitter: "Dude—that abandoned scooter in the commercial's dumpster fire scene was... *chef's kiss*," one tweeted at Reynolds. "Ryan Reynolds having them put a scooter next to a dumpster while Taylor Swift plays into the background of the new Match commercial is my favorite part of 2020," another wrote. Awaiting Braun's response via subway ad for Tinder!

RELATED STORIES

los angeles, california november 24 taylor swift attends the 2019 american music awards at microsoft theater on november 24, 2019 in los angeles, california photo by axellebauer griffinfilmmagic

(Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)
Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.