A lot of people were pretty horrified at the things Alec Baldwin said to his daughter, Ireland, on the now infamous phone message, but no one more than Baldwin himself. The recent Emmy winner said he’s apologized to Ireland and acknowledges his words were wrong, but maintains it never should have been heard around the world without his permission.
At an appearance promoting his new book, A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce
In the message, Baldwin called the 11-year-old a “rude, thoughtless little pig.” He was apparently upset that she had missed his phone call.
“I’m disappointed, I’m ashamed to say this: You get angry,” the 50-year-old actor told a crowd Monday of about 120 people at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, where he was promoting his new book, “A Promise to Ourselves.” “I wanted to see my daughter.”
The 30 Rock star’s book tells of the frustrations he’s experienced with the Los Angeles family court system and how bitter his divorce from Kim Basinger, Ireland’s mother, has become. Baldwin uses his own experience with the system to offer advice on litigation. He also talks about how one parent can turn a child caught in the middle against the other parent, something he believes Basinger has done. Baldwin, along with the rest of the world, thinks his ex-wife leaked the message. Not surprisingly, Basinger has denied it.
He stayed pretty mum about the situation for quite awhile, considering the amount of exposure it got, and the heated discussions it raised. I think it was brilliant to let the dust settle, gather his thoughts, and put them toward something good; a book designed to help others with the divorce and custody court system. I think he may just have redeemed himself, even to his critics.
Alec Baldwin is shown at the Emmys on 9/21/08. Credit:Nikki Nelson/ WENN; Albert L. Ortega/ PRPhotos
I agree with him entirely. I don’t think anyone who’s had children has ever managed to raise them without doing or saying something they wished they had not. He was in a terrible situation, with the ex-wife playing games, and was under a lot of tension because of that, and probably truly, deeply disappointed that his daughter canceled out on seeing him once again. He did use the wrong words, but we all do that in times of great frustration. He’s sorry.
I agree that the real crime here is airing the recording for all to hear. That was vicious.
I’m sure this will draw some ire and most will find it weird, but I actually grew to like him after the ‘pig’ incident. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t agree with what he said, but he appeared human. Here was a guy who was hurt so much by his daughter’s disdain that he lashed out. I looked at it in a different way than everyone else I guess… I saw it as a father who loved his child and was torn apart by pain. It wasn’t right, but it happens.
Of course he was horrified. It became public knowledge that he verbally abuses his child. Didn’t care much for him before this incident; can’t stand him now.
I predict in about 15 years there will be a tell all book written by Ireland Baldwin, and it will reveal what horrible parents they both are.
He’s the PIG
You don’t say that to your child
Evah!
He’s not horrified that he said it, more like mortified
It’s hilarious that he decided to pen a book on fatherhood.
Whatever Alec.
I guess I must be horrible because I totally sympathize with him. This was a private matter and, quite frankly, preteens CAN be “rude pigs” and aren’t called on it nearly enough. Parenting is TOUGH – and it sounds to me like he is/was a very involved parent who, frankly, just lost it with his daughter (probably after many dealings). He could have used a little more restraint, sure – I just don’t see this as abusive.
Agree, Syko & RAN. He fessed up to it, made no excuses for his behaviour, was plainly mortified by it, apologised for it and should now be allowed to move on.
Amen Syko 😉
I too understand the BS/frustration that goes hand in hand with divorce/custody.
Walk a mile haters……………
Meh. I thought the voicemail was horrible, but I still think he’s a brillant, funny actor.
And I don’t think the “real crime” was giving the recording to the press, Syko. What did Alec think would happen? How do we even know that this was an isolated incident?
Basinger may be a crazy, vindictive person, but I doubt Alec is much different.
All he called her was a pig? Sheesh, I wish my mother would’ve been so kind. Maybe I should buy her his book for Christmas.
my grandmother on my father’s side was a cruel woman. she was mean and cold and hard to love. my entire childhood my father would take the family to her house for holidays and they would end in her being wretched to my mother and father and the family spirit would be broken. i know that my mother hated that woman but she would not say anything bad. when we got older we – the three kids – decided we would no longer go to her house. my father, still to this day, will say that my mother turned us against his mother. i know that that can happen, but far more often the children involved are more aware than people give them credit. if he is calling her a pig, i doubt her mother has o do anything to turn her. he did that himself.
He has been villified. I’d like to know one parent who hasn’t lost their temper with their child and said things they were sorry for later. I just hope Kim doesn’t turn Ireland against her Dad completely. It doesn’t really seem that way but like Alec says, he’s more like a kindly uncle than a parent. Too bad he doesn’t have other children as there’s just too much emphasis on this one only child.
Sorry, but if you want to have a good relationship with your daughter and talk to her regularly, yelling and calling her names when she misses a phonecall simply isn’t the way to go about it.
On a completely superficial note, I think it’s a genuine waste for someone who was as flat-out gorgeous in his 20’s as Alec was to let himself go the way he has. He’s only a few years older than Brad Pitt. It’s got to be a reflection of the same problems that contributed to his divorce and to his reputation as a very difficult person to work with.
Ahhaha! great comments here. I totally agree with the last 5 posts.
He did used to be quite the bit of manmeat. He’s a flobby pudge now. A pig, if you will. lol
He just looks like a mean ass, puffed up alcoholic. I’m sure it wasn’t the first or last nasty exchange from Alec towards his daugter. Poor kid, how is she not going to forgive him; kids always love their parents, no matter how rotten they are to them. He’s not the only Baldwin who looks bad; they all do.
I love the judgement being thrown around here from people that probably have never had the experience of dealing with a pyschotic ex spouse. I will agree that Ireland didn’t deserve the voicemail from him. That was so wrong. But I would challenge anyone here to deny that if they were driven to the edge of reason they wouldn’t react the same way.
So easy to be a Monday morning quarterback until you’ve lived it. Jackasses
Every parent has days when they yell about something they normally wouldn’t or when their child does something that drives them to anger that is disproportional to the actual offense. People make mistakes.
He was not verbally abusing her. He got angry and raised his voice and made an inappropriate statement that needed retracting and apology. In families…which are made up of humans…people err. The daughter erred and hurt her father. The father erred and hurt his daughter.
They made the appropriate apologies and hugged and made up.
Any of you who judge this incident with righteous indignation are either: 1.) Aliens who grew up in some sort of perfect universe heretofore unknown to mankind; 2.) Are in serious denial about your own deficiencies as a parent; or 3.) Don’t have any kids.
Period.
No one makes it through parenting without saying things he didn’t mean, doing things he wish he hadn’t, and missing things he wishes he could go back and be there for.
Get off this man’s back.
..verbal “abuse”. been accused of “physical abuse” “Thoughtless pig” strikes me as emotional abuse here…I’m on Kim’s side. I think if this one made it to the media, there are thousands of others that didn’t. Alex Baldwin is an abusive *uck. There wouldn’t be much twisting this kid’s head to be with Mom if that’s really what was going on. Kids any age are smart enough to choose not to be around abuse. Maybe she missed the call on purpose because she didn’t feel like another phonecall of Daddy’s abuse?
He’s a total asshole – can shove his Emmies up his ass.