The actor has had run-ins with paparazzi, police and more
By Lori A Bashian , Nate Day
Hollywood is renowned for its illustrious characters, both on and off screen.
Alec Baldwin, the Academy Award-nominated actor who faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, is one of those who have captivated the public’s attention for decades, according to prosecutors.
On the “Rust” movie set in October 2021, a gun that Baldwin had been told was “cold,” or unloaded, accidentally fired and killed Hutchins. Joel Souza, the director, also suffered harm but is now okay.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who plays the armorer in the movie, is also charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice,” Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel, told Fox News Digital following the news. “Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”
If Baldwin is convicted of involuntary manslaughter, he could be facing up to 18 months in jail. However, if he is convicted of that charge, plus a firearm enhancement, he could serve a mandatory sentence of five years, according to the district attorney’s statement.
Here’s a look at some of Baldwin’s appearances in the headlines over the years.
1995
When Baldwin, now 64, and wife Kim Basinger brought their newborn daughter Ireland home in October 1995, he tussled with a paparazzo.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Baldwin struck the photographer, allegedly breaking his nose.
At the time, Baldwin was charged with one count of battery when photographer Alan Zanger filed a $1 million lawsuit. Ultimately, the actor was acquitted after a jury accepted that he had acted in self-defense.
2007
An angry voicemail Baldwin left for his young daughter Ireland somehow got leaked online in 2007.
Ireland, then 11, apparently didn’t pick up Baldwin’s scheduled phone call, prompting the actor to call her a “rude, thoughtless little pig.” He said she needed her “a– straightened out” and that “she humiliated [him] for the last time,” according to People. The actor and his ex-wife were apparently in a nasty custody battle at the time.
“I’m sorry, as everyone who knows me is aware, for losing my temper with my child,” Baldwin said in a statement on his website, per the Daily Mail. “I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now. You have to go through this to understand. (Although I hope you never do.) I am sorry for what happened.”
In 2015, Ireland posted a photo on Instagram mocking the incident, which she said was turned into a “bigger deal than it was.”
2011
For several years, the actor’s public image soared as he earned an Oscar nomination, reinvigorated his career with “30 Rock” and began dating Hilaria Hayward-Thomas, who eventually became his wife.
In December 2011, Baldwin attracted some negative attention when he was kicked off an American Airlines flight for refusing to turn off his phone while onboard.
On Twitter at the time, Baldwin wrote, “Flight attendant on American [Airlines] reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said that an investigation into the incident was a possibility at the time.
Baldwin’s spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik, said in a statement to Fox News, “Alec was asked to leave the flight for playing Words with Friends while parked at the gate. He loves WWF so much that he was willing to leave a plane for it, but he has already boarded another AA flight.”
2012
In the summer of 2012, New York Daily News photographer Marcus Santos alleged Baldwin punched him in the face outside the city Marriage License Bureau in New York. The actor was there to pick up his marriage license ahead of his wedding with Hilaria.
The outlet captured images of the actor shoving the photographer.
Just days later, Baldwin lost his temper with another photographer, grabbing him by the arm and telling him to “shut the f— up.”
2013
A little over a year later, Baldwin again confronted a paparazzo outdoors. It was reported at the time that sources alleged the photographer had been the aggressor. However, the photog told a media outlet, “All I can say is I was doing my job, asking him normal questions, and he flipped. That’s all.”
Law enforcement was called to the incident, and both men admitted to pushing and shoving one another and agreed not to press charges.
Months later, in yet another confrontation with the paparazzi, Baldwin was alleged to have used a homophobic slur.
He claimed at the time that he had not used a slur and had been misheard but later admitted to using the harmful term and said on Twitter that he’d “retire” it from his vocabulary.
Not long after, his talk show “Up Late” was canceled.
2014
Baldwin was stopped by a police officer in 2014 for riding his bicycle in the wrong direction down Fifth Avenue. After getting “belligerent” with the officer, Baldwin was taken into custody and put in handcuffs. Baldwin didn’t have any identification on him at the time.
Later, an enraged Baldwin posted the name and badge number of the arresting officer on Twitter to protest his arrest. He continued his tirade by claiming that New York city officials were just “hungry for money and eager to criminalize behavior once thought benign.”
Following the bicycle-related arrest, Baldwin told New York magazine that he was prepared to give up his public persona and leave the city, which was an hour away by train from Long Island, where he was raised. “New York has changed,” he continued.
The incident in 2014 led Caroline Samponaro, director of bicycle advocacy at Transportation Alternatives, to say, “I think that the whole thing is more a reflection on him than on biking and the state of biking.” He frequently makes the news, and it’s usually negative news.
2016
Once again, Baldwin did not hold back when he was upset by a photographer in Beverly Hills, California.
When angered by the paparazzo, Baldwin was pictured standing close to his face and yelling.
The actor reportedly could be heard saying, “You’re a piece of trash,” “Shut up” and “Stay away from my wife,” among other things
2018
The actor allegedly punched a man in Manhattan Nov. 2, 2018, after getting into a heated argument over a parking space.
Baldwin claimed that he had a family member holding a parking spot when a man driving a station wagon pulled up and took it, police told The Associated Press. The men were arguing and pushing each other before Baldwin allegedly turned violent, officials added.
The alleged victim was treated for an injury to his left jaw and taken to a nearby hospital.
Baldwin pleaded guilty to a second-degree harassment violation and agreed to the district attorney’s recommendation that he attend a short anger-management program as part of his plea. He also had to pay a mandatory surcharge of $120.
2023
Baldwin caught a lot of flak online when he took to Instagram asking his followers to help him get his wife Hilaria to one million followers on the social media app for her birthday.
He posted four videos of himself leading up to the date, as well as on her birthday, asking his fans to follow her, explaining that “social media is a big part of her platform in terms of her promotion of her work,” and that it would mean a lot to her to reach that milestone.
At one point, he even enlisted the help of his nine-year-old daughter Carmen, posting a video of her saying, “follow my mom on Instagram—please and thank you.”
People online didn’t think the gesture was as sweet as he did. Many called him out for “teaching (his) kids the wrong things are important.” One user wrote, “teaching your children their self worth is based on social media is disturbing.”
Social media users also called out Hilaria for wanting new followers, claiming that she doesn’t engage with the followers she already has.
“What is the point if her comments are off so we can’t communicate/engage with her? I’ve replied to her stories and messaged her before but they’ve never even been read,” one commenter wrote.
