Billy Baldwin is standing by sister-in-law Hilaria Baldwin amid accusations she lied about her Spanish heritage and accent.
The actor, 57, and his wife, Chynna Phillips, sat down with The New York Post‘s Page Six on Tuesday, December 29, via FaceTime to talk about the drama. Billy and Phillps, 52, empathized with Hilaria, 36, and his brother Alec Baldwin in the interview, published on Saturday, January 2.
“This is probably an awkward and embarrassing time for Alec and Hilaria,” Billy shared, noting that he’s been in touch with Alec, 62, throughout the scandal. The Backdraft star made clear that he stands with his brother.
“I’ve been texting Alec the whole time to make sure he’s OK and if he needs anything,” Billy told Page Six.
The “Hold On” singer added, “My family has been through this before. I was born in a fishbowl, and this kind of stuff has been happening around me since 1968.”
In a YouTube video posted on Wednesday, December 30, Phillips once again addressed rumors Hilaria lied about being from Spain and pretended to have an accent for years. The former Wilson Phillips member said she feels “terrible” for the former yoga instructor.
“Who’s gonna throw the first stone at my sweet sister-in-law? She’s a good woman and, you know, none of us are perfect. We all have issues and we all have our things,” she said in the YouTube video. “Family is family.”
Billy and Phillips aren’t the only ones showing their support for Hilaria during this time. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Dorit Kemsley, who herself has been accused of faking an accent since 2017, addressed the drama on Instagram on Saturday.
“I feel bad for what she’s going through in the press at the moment,” Kemsley, 44, wrote in response to a follower’s question about “accentgate.” “I don’t think she deserves it. I’ve had so much scrutiny over the way I speak, I’ve learned to ignore all the noise but at first it was really hurtful.”
The Bravo star continued, “I’m sure all of this backlash has been hard on her. I don’t know her but I’ve followed her for years and I hope she’s back on social media soon. … If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Hilaria stepped away from social media on December 27 only to return that same day with photos from “evening meditation” with some of her five children. She resurfaced again the following day to share artwork made by “the Baldwinitos” — she and Alec share children Carmen, 7, Rafael, 5, Leonardo, 4, Romeo, 2, and Eduardo, 3 months.
An insider told Us Weekly on Wednesday, December 30, Hilaria is “completely upset” about the scandal.
“This has been such a nightmare for her,” the source said. “She never in a million years would think of this as being harmful to anyone. The part that’s extremely frustrating to her is the contention that she lied when that is just not the case.”
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