Ireland Baldwin makes excuses for her rage monster father: ‘He’s frustrated’

Back in 2007, Alec Baldwin made a phone call to his then 12-year-old daughter Ireland. Ireland didn’t pick up the phone, so Alec (being a RAGE MONSTER) left a message that will go down in infamy. It will probably be part of his obituary, quite honestly. You can go here and listen to the message again – Alec flat-out RAGES at his young daughter for not answering her phone, and refers to her as a “rude, thoughtless little pig.” But really… it was a lot worse than that. He threatens to “get on a plane and fly out for the day” and “straighten her ass out.” And on and on. Well, Alec has spoken about the incident over the years (raging about it still) but we’ve never really heard from Ireland on the situation. Well, now Ireland is talking about it:

Alec Baldwin’s daughter Ireland has talked for the first time about his infamous 2007 voice mail in which he called her “a rude, thoughtless, little pig” — saying he often speaks like that “because he’s frustrated.”

Ireland, the 16-year-old daughter of Baldwin and Kim Basinger, thinks the incident — which created a viral scandal and prompted Baldwin to temporarily lose visitation rights — was blown wildly out of proportion.

“The only problem with that voice mail was that people made it out to be a way bigger deal than it was,” she tells Page Six Magazine, out today. “He’s said stuff like that before just because he’s frustrated. For me it was like, ‘OK, whatever.’ I called him back I was like, ‘Sorry Dad, I didn’t have my phone.’ That was it.”

Ireland adds that she and the “30 Rock” star laugh about the incident and nearly used it as inspiration for a comedy sketch. “We almost did something funny on YouTube, of me calling him and yelling at him.”

In the candid interview, Ireland also says she understands her father’s contentious relationship with the paparazzi.

“My dad has been going through it for so long, I can see how he gets frustrated,” she muses, addressing her own career by adding, “If acting or modeling takes off, and I make a name for myself, I can see how I might get pretty frustrated.”

Ireland, who lives in California but regularly visits her dad in New York, also says his new wife Hilaria Thomas, 28, has become like a “big sister,” though she does jokingly call her “Mom.”

“Hilaria and I are really close,” Ireland says. “She’s like a big sister to me, but I feel like I haven’t spent enough time with her yet.” She adds, “We joke around, and I call her ‘Mom.’ But I respect her, it’s not like I’m ‘Parent Trap’-ping her, setting up booby traps in her room.”

The teen, who admits to having had a drink, says she’s never used drugs and has chosen to save sex for marriage: “I just believe that sex is important and worth waiting for.”

[From Page Six Magazine]

Yeah… tweens and teenagers can be frustrating, and God knows, ALL OF US frustrated the hell out of our parents when we were that age – personally, I think I was at my worst, my craziest when I was between the ages of 13-15. But even at my worst, neither of my parents (who were getting divorced at the time, and dealing with their own issues – perhaps why I was acting out so much?) ever said anything like that to me. To me, Ireland comes across as genuinely sympathetic because she seems so shell-shocked by her father’s rage issues. She has no experience of Alec being anything other than a father full of rage and… yes, emotional abuse. It’s sad to me that she makes excuses for him, but in her defense… it’s all she knows.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

71 Responses to “Ireland Baldwin makes excuses for her rage monster father: ‘He’s frustrated’”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. David says:

    I like her more than her father.

  2. Mimi says:

    Raging a-hole is more like it. Can’t stand the guy.

    • brin says:

      Poor Ireland, he is horrible.

      • Mimi says:

        IKR? I feel horrible for her. I had to make excuses for my father too and…it’s just not right. 🙁

      • RocketMerry says:

        It is terrible to have parents who deal with rage issues. It is even more horrible when growing up you realize that you resemble them, or that you have interiorized some of their behaviours.

        Still, as a teenager I’ve had phone calls from my mother who were much, much worse than that recording, and those calls never resolved in anything physical. So maybe it’s the same with Alec.

    • marie says:

      agreed.. on another note, thank goodness she looks more like her mom..

  3. k says:

    I don’t understand Hilaria’s hair. It always seems off to me. I also hope that Ireland aspires to something more permanent and stimulating than modeling.

  4. Lem says:

    No doubt Baldwin genes are difficult to live with. That poor girl, half Baldwin half Bessinger … Is screwed

  5. teehee says:

    Wow you can see Kim in her 🙂

    • fabgrrl says:

      Totally looks like Kim. Lucky girl! Not that Alec Baldwin wasn’t smokin’ hot. But we’ve all seen unfortunate looking offspring of two beautiful parents.

    • tripmom says:

      I know. Isn’t she absolutely stunning?

  6. Becky says:

    So who do you guys think took that last photo.? A pro, right? It’s so cheesy, with that light effect haha.

    • KellyinSeattle says:

      ha ha…exactly what I thought..like cut outs of paper dolls

    • Me Too says:

      Omg that last photo is so funny! Sadly, or maybe that’s why it’s so funny, I think his daughter ( oh wait! I mean his wife!) is seriously posing. And that hair dye job on Alex…good God! But, we should enjoy these pics now because after Hilaria pops out her million dollar lottery baby, she’s going back to younger entertainment…knowing she’ll never have to work another day in her life. Me…I couldn’t do him or any amount of money.

  7. Lem says:

    The pics of Alec and Hilarious, from the wedding, professionally lit et cetera , are Hilaria

  8. Blue says:

    That’s really sad that this is normal for her and not a big deal.

    • DreamyK says:

      It is sad. You know when she’ll realize how truly horrible it was/is? When she has her own children. It will dawn on her how much she loves her kid/s and vows that she will never do xyz like her dad.

      There was a reason her mom fought so hard for custody and shielded her daughter from the rage monster as much as was possible.

      • ol cranky says:

        Gosh, I absolutely loathe Alec Baldwin but, in this case, it was widely believed that Kim Basinger was engaged in all sorts of parental alienation tactics in their custody battle and that she is the one who released the audio. Baldwin’s well known anger management issues coupled with the mind eff that is dealing with your ex actively interfering in your relationship with your child is a recipe for that phone message.

        That poor kid is screwed because both of her parents are flaming aholes

  9. lizzi says:

    Ireland is gorgeous.

  10. Naye in VA says:

    How weird is it to be sitting next to your father and his new wife is sitting on his lap???

    I totally look away when my parents kiss. IDK maybe its just me?

    • someone says:

      i was hoping someone would bring that up! my parents even holding hands to this day (22 years of life) still makes me go “ew guys, save it for when i’m not here”. let alone sitting on each other’s lap…

      • RTR_Girl says:

        It always creeped me out, too, until I became old enough (college age) to realize how blessed I was to have parents who still loved/liked each other enough to want to be affectionate, even after many years of marriage.

        Let me qualify my statement, though, by saying that if it were one of my parents with a step-parent, I would still be creeped out by it. Probably doesn’t make sense, I know, but it would just be different.

    • Melly says:

      My step-mother used to hang all over my dad when my sister and I were around. It was a very childish way for her to demand his full attention.

  11. Talie says:

    Wow, she’s like her mother’s twin.

  12. bea says:

    I read that in the NYP today and I noticed she said he was “frustrated” twice (once with her and once with the paps). Must be the “code word” to use with him or he’ll become irate.

    Creepy pic of Hilaria sitting on his lap. He seems like an obsessed smoother-er!

    Ireland really looks like her mom (fortunately)

  13. poppy says:

    she’s very diplomatic for 16.
    he’s always going to have “problems” because it is too easy to get under his skin. he’s an ass to blam anyone but himself.

    the picture with his wife on his knee with the other teen girls is creepy as all get out.

  14. LeeLee says:

    Ireland is gorgeous!! Lucky girl looks just like her mom.

  15. CalliD says:

    I kind of understand where she’s coming from. My dad was in the navy then police for most of his life, he was used to people doing what he said. as a kid when when I didn’t do what he said he used to get really angry – shouting etc. as a kid it used scare me but as an adult I just wait for his anger to pass then ridicule him for the massive over-reaction! I don’t feel sorry for her at all, I’m more impressed that she’s already learned how to deal with her dads issues!

  16. Fudge you, I'm going to Guam! says:

    What’s Kim up to now a days?

  17. Hope says:

    Honestly, my dad is a rage monster too. Just as bad as Alec, if not possibly worse. His ego is super fragile and he’s the definition of a textbook narcissist. He’s controlling, manipulative, and expects perfect obedience. And yes, when I forget my phone in the car, or it’s on silent and I don’t pick up, I’m greeted with an angry message or five. Alec reminds me a lot of him and vice-versa.

    My point? I think Alec is also a textbook narcissist. And if he is, he doesn’t realize how his rage affects others and/or doesn’t care. People like him feel entitled to their anger. If anything they feel that YOU should have known better than to anger them. YOU should have known they were already in a bad mood and anticipated their actions and acted accordingly. It’s sickening, but it adds up in Alec’s case.

    Gosh, this is starting to sound a bit like that Tom Cruise post from the other day about the little man and his wife auditions, huh?

    • Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

      Your Dad sounds like mine – excellent description of narcissist as well 🙂

      You don’t have to be subject to energy drains even from people who call themselves your “family” – he leaves a rage filled message delete it without listening to it. A good saying from Buddha “if someone gives you a gift and you don’t accept it, then who does the gift belong to?” If your Father is trying to dump his rage on you it belongs to him so don’t take it into your heart – if he is doing it in your presence imagine a mirror so that negative energy is reflected right back.

      A good book on narcissistic parents called – Children of the Self-absorbed
      A Grown-up’s Guide to Getting over Narcissistic Parents by Nina W. Brown.

      • Hope says:

        Thanks for the book idea, Mitch (love your handle, btw!) I will definitely look it up. And Eleanor, I feel your pain. I want so badly to cut him out of my life completely. The only problem is my dad is starting to show early signs of dementia and I feel sorry for him. But kudos to you for being brave enough to do the healthy thing!

    • Eleonor says:

      My father is a rage monster too, but at a certain point I gave up (sort of), because It took me a lot of time to build my own personality (I was soo insecure), to build my life,I was scared of everything, but it was not possible to have both: my life and a happy relationship with my father. At a certain point he was like a vampire, so I decided to move on. He is still pissed and barely speaks to me, because to him me having a life without caring about him 24/7 means I’m an “egoistic asshole”. His words. But I’m happy where I am.

  18. flan says:

    Yet another woman who suffers quietly because a man is ‘frustrated’. Sighs.

    • Jackie O says:

      exactly. suffers and makes excuses.

      hopefully, when she matures, she will be better equipped to speak up against this type of emotional/verbal abuse.

      fingers crossed.

  19. Lupe says:

    If my dad’s new 20-something trophy wife was sitting in his lap right next to me, I’d be gagging.

  20. Gabby says:

    Rude…thoughtless…pig. His daughter probably just assumed he was talking to himself. Throw in arrogant, angry, overly aggressive a-hole and you have an even better description of the jerk. He is 26 years older than his wife. I wonder what he would do if his daughter wanted to date a 42 year old.

  21. mln76 says:

    I feel bad for the girl obviously Alec is a rage monster but he seems to be a loving parent. I think she’s going to be attracted to the wrong kind of men with anger issues if she doesn’t watch out.

  22. Melissa says:

    I like that Ireland is so mellow about that crazy phone message. When you grow up with a crazy person, you kind of get used to having craziness all of the time. She seems well-grounded and understanding. And it’s kind of funny that they thought of making a comedy sketch out of that message.

  23. RobN says:

    How long until she starts making excuses for some boyfriend who mistreats her?

  24. Lacie says:

    1. Ireland is beautiful, but the top knot is stupid. Gotta dress the part, baby–you’re not trying to be Miley Cyrus, are you?

    2. Hilaria’s legs. Why did I never notice before? [Probably distracted by trying to imagine her being sexually attracted to Alec] The legs are perfect. I want.

  25. Aileen says:

    He obviously is a stereotypical Irish hot head. I don’t think it’s a big deal either. Every parent has their quirks.

  26. Guest says:

    Ireland speaks …….

  27. wonderwoman21 says:

    Both my parents had rage; I called it “the ragies”. They both yelled and used profanity; my mom would throw and break stuff. Guess what, I grew up to have the ragies too! Only I can swallow mine deep, deep down with rare outbursts.

    • Jill says:

      My father was similiar, but he was also loving and kind, too. So it was confusing sometimes growing up.

      Anyway, I’ve noticed that I have a tendancy to yell and curse when I’m hurt or upset rather than cry. In fact, I rarely ever cry. I realize that is a personal fault (to yell and curse) and I try to keep it to myself as much as possible instead of blowing up at people.

      I’ve always regreted it later in the rare instances when I’ve let someone have it.

      But when I was 18 like Ireland, I was much more quiet. Maybe its just with the onslaught of responsibility that starts to creep into a person’s life beginning in their 20s that someone really finds out how well they handle stress.

      • wonderwoman21 says:

        I hear you, I feel so much remorse after I go off! I always tell myself it’ll never happen again but it does. The same happens too when I’m hurt or upset, I can’t really cry and I just switch to anger instead. I’ve actually gotten more control over the last few years; in my teens I was a raging mess.

      • Erinn says:

        Oh dear God, I have a similar situation. Instead of getting scared- I get mad. Got my great grandfather, and grand father through wars, but it’s not exactly helpful in my life.

        I have the short temper of my dad, and the snarkyness of my mom when I get pushed. It’s a scary combo, but my parents are also extremely caring. It’s a weird situation, but I’ve learned from them to manage my temper better than they have.

  28. Jill says:

    I was very impressed with how well spoken she was in the interview. Even with all the back and forth between her parents, someone did something right with her consistently along the way because she sounds like a very decent young woman. And to me, just being decent is an admirable quality.

  29. TG says:

    i feel bad for Alec. I am sure that voicemail was pent up frustration from dealing with all the parental alienation that Kim was throwing at him. Or else why was it leaked to the press. Kim is the thoughtless pig in this situation. I tell my step-daughters if they can’t bother to respond when their dad calls then we will gladly take the phone from them and save money every month. I suspect Ireland was suffering from the same kind of training conner and isabella were getting. Not the cult but parental alienation.

    • mln89 says:

      well then he shouldn’t have been screaming at his 12 year old daughter because she was a child and not in any way responsible for the situation. children are malleable, could she help it if she HAD been brainwashed by her mother, who for years, had primary custody of her? he should have been yelling at kim basinger and dragging her ass into court to make sure he could not be alienated from his daughter and that his custody rights were protected.

      • TG says:

        You have a good point but I guess for some reason I am on his side and I tend to think the girl was a spoiled brat and I can’t stand brats. I never heard the voicemail either. But I concede the point.

      • Dap says:

        You are right. But parental alienation is not (or not only) about depriving the other parent of his legal rights. It’s about making those legal rights useless because you’ve trashed so much the other parent’s image that the kid doesn’t even want to be with him anymore (or in this case talk to him on the phone). At least, AB showed his daughter that he was not OK with that and that he won’t give up on her.

  30. Natalina says:

    Ireland is so pretty

  31. RTR_Girl says:

    He disgusts me on a multitude of levels but wow, Ireland is gorgeous.

  32. mln89 says:

    the way he spoke to that little girl (she was TWELVE at the time) was emotionally abusive and irresponsible. the end. there is no excuse for him. and his wife and daughter really DO look close enough in age to be sisters, it’s creepy and gross.

  33. Micki says:

    I am a rage monster too.My poor husband has to make excuses for me.Funnily enough my parents are not.

  34. skuddles says:

    Daddy Dearest

  35. Pau says:

    I don’t think he’s horrible and they obviously have a good relationship so I don’t know why everyone is commenting on his parenting skills when he has evidently built a close bond with his daughter.

    • crtb says:

      I agree. I think the horrible abusive parent is Kim. The real damage was done when she released that tape. He was frustrated and he said something inappropriate. Have you ever been to the supermaket or park? Parents say horrible things to their kids all the time. They survive. The fact that Kim humiliated her daughter in fron of the entire world was much more damaging that what he said.

  36. Vesper says:

    Being on the receiving end of parental alienation can get pretty frustrating. I’m sure now that Ireland is no longer a child she can appreciate the hell her mother put her father thru, and why he sometimes overreacts.

    On the whole, it is my understanding, that Alex has a good reputation amongst his costars, past and present, unlike many actors and their garden variety temper tantrums.

  37. Dee Cee says:

    Got a good bump up on her allowance did she?

  38. jwoolman says:

    Well, she still visits him and she’s old enough not to do so if she prefers. So my guess is that we should take her at face value. It just wasn’t a big deal to her. He must have other redeeming qualities. Fact is that people who yell a lot get tuned out during their episodes… She may really have not taken it personally even when it happened, especially if she’s a mellow sort by nature. 12 year olds can be rather astute, depends on the kid. She may have been more upset with her mom.

  39. Ravensdaughter says:

    Wow, she looks a lot like her mom. Perhaps in his moments of rage, he fuses her with Kim…

  40. Jayna says:

    I understand what she’s saying. I think she has zero fear of her father. That he’s really a softy where she is concerned, but has a loud bluster and she tunes it out. It wasn’t his finest moment. But I saw my sister, who is a tremendous mother, lose it on her son in a way that made me physically sick. I think because I was there he wouldn’t back down, and it made her anger escalate. The incident bothered me for a long time, and I told her so. She felt awful. If anyone had seen it she would have looked like an awful parent. She brought it up a long time later to him and he looked at her like he didn’t even remember it.

  41. Mira says:

    Please! People should stop being over sensitive. Alec did not say anything that was offensive. The only word he used was calling Ireland a pig, which in my experience, is milder than mild. Only if my dad was half as famous as Alec Baldwin and his temper tantrums were taped by the media! It’s taken me years to program myself to ignore the kind of shit that comes off of my dad’s mouth. There are so many good sides to my dad but all of it is negated by his larger-than-life ego and anger management issues. I’m 29 years old and still struggle with where I stand vis-à-vis my dad. I can’t love him completely because of his asshole-ness and I can’t hate him because of the good things he has bought into my life. It’s a love-hate relationship and only as recently as this winter I decided to accept the reality of the situation and stop striving to either love him or hate him. Now I know that I’ll always love him, but I don’t necessarily like him. Don’t know if I’m making sense here but people in similar relationships with their dads may understand.

    My older sister countered my dad’s rage with more rage and as a result I grew up as a quiet, hopelessly introverted child all of my school life. It took me that long (17-years) to find my self-esteem and confidence, which I finally found when I started doing stage in college. I have since evolved, but there are still some signs of self-doubt popping out every now and then. My own personality is that of extreme dislike to loud voices, shouting and yelling, intolerant people or people who flip out for the flimsiest of reasons, short-tempered people, and people who use anger as an excuse to use dirty, condescending, pejorative words. I’m a very patient and polite person as a result. My sister on the other had has inherited my dad’s complete estate of rage. We both have evolved in opposite directions as adults.

    And there’s no need to say Ireland is making excuses for her dad. Father-daughter or any parent-child relationship is much much more complicated than saying just that. It takes a while to understand your parents and as I grow older I’m understanding them better. I don’t make excuses for my dad now nor do I blame him, both of which I used to do when I was young. My understanding of him, his relationship my with mom and my older sister is more clear than it ever was.

  42. ramie says:

    Alec is great on 30 Rock. 🙂

  43. Sabrine says:

    I think Alec Baldwin is a great dad. He always fought Basinger for the right to see his daughter. He must have been frustrated at times. Ireland saw no big deal with the call. She obviously adores her dad. People need to move on. This has been ridiculously overblown.

  44. Laura says:

    I have to agree with the others who think his ‘rage’ wasn’t that big of a deal. My parents raged at me wayyyyy worse than that and called me a lot worse. I think every parent has lost their temper with their child and said things that they would be ashamed to have made public.
    Still don’t like the guy though.