The Most Controversial Moments In Hilaria Baldwin's Life
You wouldn't think it's possible to be wed to notorious hothead Alec Baldwin and still be the most controversial person in the marriage. After all, this is the man who's been accused of assaulting both a photographer and a parking attendant, removed from a flight for refusing to stop playing a word-based app game, and famously once called his pre-teen daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig" in a phone conversation that was then leaked for all the world to hear.
The woman formerly known as Hillary Lynn Hayward-Thomas seemed to be the yin to the 30 Rock star's yang; aside from the occasional piece of gossip, there appeared to be very little controversy about the writer, podcaster and one-woman yoga empire. But then, the tide turned, and Hilaria Baldwin has been in the midst of some kind of drama ever since.
Let's take a moment in child's pose before we dive into all the times Hilaria has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Hilaria Baldwin is accused of cultural misappropriation
Despite being in the public eye for nearly a decade, Hilaria Baldwin had never been remotely questioned about her apparent Spanish heritage until a Twitter user appeared to open Pandora's box in December 2020. The user, whose account has since gone private, suggested in a thread that contrary to what the Living Clearly Method author, her husband Alec Baldwin and her now-changed official biography (via Page Six) have stated, Hilaria is as American as apple pie.
This remark inspired numerous other social media users and publications to delve deep into Hilaria's past to discover her true identity. The podcaster's array of differing accents, various experts' confirmations that she didn't have a Spanish bone in her body, and an apparent inability to remember the word "cucumber," were all cited as evidence that Hilaria had tried to pass herself off as Spanish without any actual connection to the sun-soaked country.
Hilaria soon fought back in an Instagram video, claiming that her ethnicity consists of "many, many, many things," but she failed to identify any of those "things." A few days later, the star explained to The New York Times that stage fright had been responsible for her cucumber faux pas, that stress caused her accent to change regularly, and that the bio in question hadn't received her authorization. Many readers still remained baffled as to whether Hilaria was guilty of cultural appropriation or not.
Did Hilaria Baldwin traumatize a yoga student?
Hell hath no fury like a yoga instructor scorned, apparently. In 2013, the New York Post reported that Hilaria Baldwin and her Yoga Vida studio were sued by a student named Spencer Wolff after he suffered an injury in her class. According to the outlet, "he lost his balance and crashed into a sixth-floor window while performing a handstand," and according to The Sun, he wound up needing around 40 stitches. In the aftermath, the New York Post reported that there were accusations that the class was too "crowded" to be conducted safely, which, as ABC News noted, Alec Baldwin publicly denied. Wolff's friend Zev Starr-Tambor alleged to Page Six that the studio "refused" to chip in for the medical bills. Wolff subsequently filed a lawsuit which resulted in an undisclosed settlement.
In January 2021, Starr-Tambor told The Sun that Wolff "still has trouble running and surfing" and claimed Hilaria and Alec, who happen to also be Spencer's neighbors in the Hamptons town of Amagansett, haven't exactly been friendly in the years following the incident.
Starr-Tambor recalled a particularly ugly encounter when they all happened to bump into each other during a walk: "She just came up to us and completely got in Spencer's face and yelled 'I know who you are and you traumatized me.' It was completely aggressive. He froze and let the wrath sort of pass and said 'I didn't want to traumatize you, I just got hurt. Look at my scar.' But she continued berating him."
Trolls went after Hilaria Baldwin's belly button ring post
In October 2020, just seven weeks after she gave birth to her fifth child, Eduardo Pau Lucas, Hilaria Baldwin uploaded an Instagram Story in which she appeared in her underwear. In its caption, the wellness expert explained that she wasn't trying to show off her post-pregnancy body but simply a piece of jewelry.
"It's not about my underwear, and it's not about my skin, or the fact that I'm exhausted and have no interest in makeup," she wrote. "It's about the fact that I lay on my back while my friend shoved my belly piercing back in while I clenched my teeth. So '90s? Yup ... and I'm 36, five kids, and still keeping it." Despite her disclaimer, the internet trolls still came out in force to accuse the podcaster of lacking empathy for other recent mothers.
Hilaria refused to take this lying down, however, and as reported by Independent, she responded, "Having empathy does not mean not being oneself. I'm one of the biggest cheerleaders for body positivity and love ... I don't shame or hurt others ... I don't think I'm better or worse, I don't tell people to look different. Or that how they naturally are is making me feel badly. So should someone say that to me? Should you say that to me?" The clearly disgruntled star then claimed that she herself was being discriminated against for fitting into society's idea of beauty.
Amy Schumer and Hilaria Baldwin's holiday beef
One of the most unlikely celebrity feuds of 2020 involved Amy Schumer and Hilaria Baldwin, although it seems fair to say that their beef was pretty much one-sided. For it was the Trainwreck star that was doing all the shading.
Schumer kicked things off on Instagram, as per People, when she wished her followers a happy holiday season alongside a picture of the yoga expert cradling her newborn baby, an image which Hilaria had previously posted on her own Instagram account. It's not clear why the comedian pretended to be Hilaria, but as People noted, she did later apologize for the joke. But the funnywoman was at it again just days later when she uploaded a pic of the entire Baldwin family that she captioned, "Chris [Schumer's husband] and I had such a beautiful day with the kids."
And of course, following the whole cultural appropriation scandal, the Snatched actress couldn't resist from making another jibe. As reported by the Daily Mail, on this occasion, she posted a photo of herself posing with a cup of coffee and wearing a large beach hat and sunglasses. "I get it," the caption read. "I went to Spain a couple times and loved it too." Schumer also used an emoji of a cucumber, a reference to the word Hilaria once claimed to have forgotten, in the post which she later deleted.
Hilaria Baldwin took heat for hiring a nanny
Hilaria Baldwin once again decided to fight back against her more vocal detractors while appearing on the popular podcast, Mom School, in June 2020. And on this occasion the source of all the drama was the star's decision to bring in a nanny.
The author felt compelled to defend herself after revealing that she'd been criticized for seeking assistance with her and husband Alec Baldwin's first four children. "That doesn't mean you don't take care of your own kids," Hilaria argued, before adding that her busy career has left her with no option but to find outside help. "I work every single day. And for people to make you feel badly about that is not fair."
Hilaria went on to add, "Neither my family or Alec's family live close ... Right now, my youngest kids are two, three and four, and I have a seven-year-old. So you know, it's okay to accept help, and there is no shame that other people should give you because of that." So how does Alec contribute, you may be wondering? Well, according to his wife, the award-winning Donald Trump impersonator lends a hand by doing the dishes and heading out on "Toy Patrol" — the name he's given to the chore of picking up any toys his little ones have left out in the yard.
Hilaria Baldwin accused an outlet of invading her privacy
Celebs complaining about the press' invasion of privacy when they've been more than happy to share every aspect of their private life on social media might not usually inspire much sympathy. But that wasn't the case when Hilaria Baldwin understandably blasted one particular publication for its intrusive questioning in the summer of 2019.
The wellness expert took to Instagram to shame an unnamed outlet for asking whether she'd fallen pregnant again just three months after suffering a miscarriage. Alongside a clip of some happy family time at the beach, Hilaria told followers how she felt after hearing the query: "My immediate response is 'no' because I'm not — and that is simple. But given what happened this spring, I have to say that this call really bugged me."
Hilaria went on to defend herself over criticisms that she'd previously shared too much about her miscarriage: "When, and if, I'm pregnant again, I will probably share it right away. I've suffered publicly and was glad I was so open. I stand behind my decision to open up as I did." The podcaster then asked any inquiring minds to wait for any pregnancy news, adding, "It will be MY news ... just as any woman has the right to share herself what is happening with her body and her baby."
A throwback to Hilaria and Alec Baldwin's first fight
Props to Hilaria Baldwin for showing that Hollywood couples aren't always as picture perfect as their Insta accounts would have you believe. In a refreshing change from the usual happy, smiley selfies typically displayed on the photo-sharing platform, the yoga expert decided in February 2020 to share an Instagram throwback of the moment she first argued with her then-boyfriend and now-husband Alec Baldwin.
Taken at a high profile event, the picture in question was posted by Hilaria as a novel way of celebrating the ninth anniversary of her first meeting with the 30 Rock star. She explained, "I don't have a photo from then, but I do have a photo of our first disagreement. You got frustrated with someone on the red carpet and walked away. I had to waddle in this mermaid tail dress after you and didn't like being left behind."
It certainly looks like you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife, judging by the intense stare Hilaria was giving her date for the evening. But the podcaster appears strangely proud of this public squabble as she further explained in the caption: "The photographer that took this photo was a super-nice woman who printed it out for me and we have it hanging by our entryway as a reminder for him to behave." Hilaria's candidness was applauded by many followers, with one commenting, "I think it's awesome you took a not so pleasant moment and turned it into a wonderful memory."
Hilaria Baldwin blasts those accusing her of ignoring stepdaughter Ireland
In early 2019 Hilaria Baldwin was accused of deliberately ignoring husband Alec Baldwin's daughter from his first marriage to Kim Basinger with her posts on social media. As a result, the Living Clearly Method writer took to Instagram to answer her critics directly with an impassioned post about the relationship she has with her stepdaughter, Ireland Baldwin.
Alongside a photo of the pair, Hilaria wrote, "I rarely address being a stepmom, but it is part of our family. I always want to deal with it with such care ... so often you hear horror stories about evil stepparents and I wanted to make sure I did right by the family I was stepping into when I married Alec. I love my stepdaughter as much as I love my biological children and I become a mommy lioness when I see comments that insinuate otherwise."
The Mom Brain host acknowledged that "sometimes [her] language about [her] biological children does not include" Ireland, but she explained the reasoning for that, too: "Because I did not birth her and I never want to disrespect the fact that she has a wonderful mother. But this will never take away from how much I love her, need her in my life, and think that she is one of the best things that has ever happened to me." She told People that she felt compelled to write the post after a commenter was "disrespecting [her] stepchild and [her] relationship with [her] stepchild."
Some took issue with Hilaria Baldwin's breastfeeding pic
In September 2020, Hilaria Baldwin posted what appeared to be an entirely innocuous photo on Instagram captioned, "3.5 days in and we are champs at multitasking." The yoga expert was referring to the fact that she could be seen both brushing her teeth and breastfeeding her newborn baby at the same time.
Most of Hilaria's followers offered nothing but praise for this shared candid moment. But a small minority took umbrage with what they saw as showboating. "Hilaria I mean this with much respect ... there is no trophy for being the most busy," was just one negative remark. Understandably, the author didn't hold back in her prompt response to her critics, telling them in another Instagram post she had little interest in such feedback: "5 kids in, we are happy, healthy, bonded, tired, busy, but blessed. The split second it takes to snap a pic or put it here, on our community that we have built for years, is something I enjoy."
Hilaria was defended by her husband Alec Baldwin who commented, "I am proud of you that you posted this," before advising her to block any such naysayers in the future. The Mom Brain host was also supported by showbiz friends such as Josh Brolin, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Tamra Judge, with the latter posting, "Amen! You gotta wonder what is wrong with these people that make these stupid/mean comments. Who does that?"
Hilaria Baldwin calls out the mom shamers
Hilaria Baldwin felt forced to answer her haters again in October 2020 about a very familiar subject: her abilities as a mom. In a chat with Us Weekly, the star explained how she was tired of being criticized about the way she brings up her five kids with her husband, Oscar nominee Alec Baldwin.
"I'm working too hard. I am here trying to take care of my kids, trying to teach my kids, trying to take care of a new baby, trying to keep everybody in my hand on top of that," she told the outlet. "Do not shame me. Do not work-shame me ... I am doing my very best. And I have no sleep on top of that."
That said, Hilaria has learned to let that snark roll right over her like water off a duck's back, and when she does respond to her "haters," she will "always try to do it with positivity." And when that strategy does not work? "If I don't want to have a conversation with you ever, if I just want to alienate you, I'll just block you," she said.
Hilaria Baldwin 'would divorce' Alec Baldwin if he ran for office
Don't expect Hilaria Baldwin to follow in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama or Melania Trump anytime soon. The yoga specialist has no interest in becoming a First Lady or any kind of political spouse, something she's made quite clear to her celebrity husband.
Alec Baldwin, who won an Emmy Award for his famous Saturday Night Live portrayal of Donald Trump, admitted on the Literally! podcast in 2020 that he had previously thought about becoming the governor of New York. But the star also added that he'd had to abandon any political ambitions due to an ultimatum made by Hilaria. "My wife said she would divorce me if I ran for office," he told host and fellow actor Rob Lowe.
So why exactly is Hilaria so dead against this idea? Do the pair have contrasting political views? Or perhaps she thought it would harm her husband's acting career? Well, turns out that the idea of Alec having to split his time between his home in the Big Apple and Washington, D.C. — if his election campaign was successful — seemed "onerous."