The holiday season might have ended by now for most of us, but it appears to not entirely be over just yet for Ryan Reynolds, based on his recent share with his 41 million Instagram followers, as he decided to spread a little more holiday cheer.
The Canadian-born actor, 45, posted a hilarious photo of himself on Instagram yesterday rocking a snazzy holiday sweater, which he affectionately referred to as a “butt ugly sweater.”
The eye-offending garment was dressed up to look like a Christmas present, decked out with a little gold bow and everything.
The sweater was a way to raise money for an extremely good cause, raising over $850,000 for the SickKids Foundation, a hospital in Toronto that has been dedicated to helping sick children and their families since 1875.
Wrapping up the year on a good note
In the photo, which the SickKids Foundation had shared yesterday on their own Instagram account, the Wolverine actor is happily gazing out of a window with a thoughtful look on his face and his hands on his hips.
“Turning something ugly into something beautiful is what @sickkids does every day,” Ryan added in his heartfelt caption.
The total amount of money raised for the children’s hospital in the month of December included a $100,000 match from Samsung Canada. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs auctioned off autographed hockey jerseys from team players to help the cause.
Reynolds and SickKids Foundation first teamed up for the sweater campaign (referred to on Instagram with the hashtag “#SweaterLove”) in 2019 and raised more than $315,000 in that first year.
How Ryan Reynolds’ ‘ugly sweater’ got started
The campaign initially kicked off because of a prank Reynolds fell for in 2019.
According to Bored Panda, two years ago, Reynolds was tricked by fellow actors Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal into wearing the sweater, telling him they were having an ugly holiday sweater party.
So Ryan dressed the part and wore his finest, only to discover that wasn’t quite true and that he was, in fact, the only person decked out in holiday threads. Still, he decided to make the most of it by raising money for a good cause
While Ryan might have proclaimed the sweater “butt ugly,” his fans didn’t seem to agree.
Ryan loves being a dad to his girls
Ryan Reynolds has three daughters with Blake Lively: James, Betty, and Inez.
Last year, he confessed in a Glamour article that he “love[d] being a girl dad” since he grew up in a house with only sons.
“I come from all boys. I have three older brothers. I’m the youngest of four boys, so for me to have three daughters has been such a ride,” he said.
“I love every second of it,” he added.
Ryan and Blake are known for their very generous donations to a variety of causes, including the Black Lives Matter movement, where they donated $200,000 to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).