Following celebrities on social media can be a real game of chance. You never know who’s a true tastemaker, who’s a meme lord, and who’s straight-up normie. But there’s no better way to weed out the flops of Hollywood than by hitting that Follow button on Twitter. It’s always reassuring to learn that certain famous people know exactly what social media is all about—that quintessential blend of thoughtfulness and humor. And nobody in Hollywood has found that balance better than movie star Ryan Reynolds.
There are plenty of reasons to love this guy. Reynolds has proven himself worthy of a fandom with his honesty, both in admitting his career faults and opening up about his mental health. His versatile roles in films throughout his career have made him a fan favorite, as well; he gave us the heebie jeebies in the 2005 remake of the classic thriller The Amityville Horror and somehow made us love AND hate him in the 2009 indie hit Adventureland. Plus, he was fairly voted “The Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine back in 2012. Now, when he isn’t busy with seemingly endless promotion for the Deadpool franchise and doing maintenance on his feud with fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe star Hugh Jackman, Reynolds is hanging out with his equally hot wife Blake Lively and their adorable children.
Recent years have found Reynolds in the middle of social media stardom. He’s developed a niche for roasting those closest to him (including his own mother) within inches of their lives, and the crowds go wild when he displays his nice-guy qualities in more heartfelt posts. Whether you enjoy Ryan Reynolds’ devilish, often raunchy jokes or his more pure posts, it’s safe to say he has become one of the most popular celebrities to follow on social media. With a combined total of 34.6 million followers on Twitter and Instagram, Reynolds always uses his platform for good—good content, that is. To prove the hype is real, here’s our countdown of Ryan Reynolds’ 20 best social media moments.
Reynolds’ constantly uses his children as source material for his posts. This tweet from 2015 is some of his earlier work, and may perfectly put into words how it feels to be a new parent. Hopefully he’s gotten the hang of it by now.
One of Reynolds’ most recent viral tweets was this response to Hugh Jackman’s sincere anniversary message for his wife. Reynolds and Jackman may be good friends offscreen, but that doesn’t stop them from teasing each other publicly.
After President Trump lifted the Obama-era ban on importing elephant hunting trophies last November, Ellen DeGeneres began the #BeKindToElephants campaign to support the protection of the animal. Reynolds took to Instagram to participate, posting some sweet pictures of him bonding with an elephant and proving he’s capable of more than his usual silly antics online.
So sweet! This message for Reynolds’ wife and Billy Ray Cyrus on their special day a few years back is one of many iconic birthday wishes he’s gifted us. Surely Blake and Billy Ray felt equally grateful for this heartfelt message.
Subtle sexual innuendo has become one of Reynolds’ specialties on social media, and this tweet is no exception. This post is half pure as it shows his dedication to Comic Con fans. It’s also half impure, which is what really keeps his follower count high.
There’s something jarring about seeing photos of celebrities before their prime. It’s even more jarring when they release the photos themselves. Reynolds perfectly roasted himself in this New Year’s post, but despite his abomination of a haircut, he was still a cutie.
This take on Zayn Malik’s haircut was a huge mood. Whether he was just pandering to the 1D fandom or actually crushin’ on Malik doesn’t really matter. We’re just glad he said what was on everyone’s mind. That hair could’ve gone for MILLIONS.
There’s no amount of silliness that can overshadow this sweet picture of Reynolds holding his daughter’s tiny hand. In a rare turn of events, this Instagram post seems to celebrate his fatherhood rather than poke fun at it. S’cute.
King of fashion. Reynolds put his own spin on the tiny sunglasses trend recently with what appear to be child-sized shades. TBH we support the shades, but we’re open to discourse on his hat choice.
Reynolds had the perfect response to this tabloid rumor stating he and Blake Lively were having trouble spending “quality time” together. This tweet just goes to show that Ryan is always watching and isn’t afraid to publicly shame you for starting rumors about him.
This photo of Reynolds and his mom is wholesome; the thought of Reynolds being born at 9 years old, however, is NOT wholesome. It just goes to show that even his own mother isn’t safe from his social media hijinks. But she raised him, so maybe she saw it coming.
Family traditions can be a real gem, especially this one that Reynolds shared on St. Patrick’s Day in 2016. It only makes sense that he would be fighting his family, considering the way he tweets about them. We’re rooting for his mom.
Before he took on the role of cynical smart-mouth Deadpool, Ryan had his shortcomings as a superhero. In March, he took to Instagram to do what he does best: mock his work in the unsuccessful 2011 remake of Green Lantern. Leave some humility for the rest of us, Reynolds.
Ryan isn’t just a great dad—he’s a great uncle, too. Here’s hoping no 6-year-old has ever actually watched enough Game of Thrones to outsmart a 41-year-old man.
Reynolds joined in on promoting hurricane relief last fall after the immense damage caused by hurricanes Irma and Harvey. Though the photo suggested purchasing a shirt to support relief efforts, Reynolds also added that bypassing the T-shirt and donating directly to a charity was a great option as well. We love a self-aware celebrity who knows that bribing people into supporting a cause isn’t the only way to make a change.
This concept could make a great sequel to Goodnight Moon. We’re glad Reynolds shared this funny tweet, but it seems like a missed opportunity for him.
After the release of Deadpool 2, Reynolds set the record straight with fellow Twitter bigwig Kanye West about some of the film’s music. Considering the fact that the soundtrack is mostly comprised of classic hits, it’s tough to say which song Ye heard himself in. But Ryan handled it like a pro, using his charm to successfully avoid any beef (with West, at least. Let’s hope Celine took it well).
This tweet tops the list simply because of its timelessness. Reynolds hit the nail on the head about the weather in 2015, and the concept holds true years later as we suffer through the hellish heat of this summer.
This tweet from 2015 proves once again that Ryan deserves an award for father of the year. In retrospect, it perfectly forecasted what to expect from his social media accounts and displayed his sense of humor to a T.
Reynolds loves wishing his loved ones a happy birthday online, but this one takes the cake. The hard crop is a power move but as funny as this post was, it was made 100x better by Lively’s response a few months later when she wished Reynolds a happy birthday by cropping him out of a picture with Ryan Gosling. Relationship goals.
