Leave it to family to have your back.
After huge fallout from Alec Baldwin's use of a gay slur on Thursday, Ireland Baldwin took to Twitter over the weekend to defend her dad's angry outburst in the court of public opinion.
And she should know a thing or two about her dad's anger management issues! Who can forget the 2007 incident when Alec left the now infamous angry voicemail for Ireland in which he called her a "thoughtless little pig"? It's a topic she first addressed head on when she joined social media last spring.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, she wrote:
"Sometimes we let our tempers get the best of us. Tempers are like wildfires. Something or someone can easily fuel the fire… It takes a lot of strength for someone to release their anger. It takes a lot of strength and SUPPORT for someone to grow and become a … better person. We all say things we don't mean. We all say things we can't take back. For someone who has battled with anger management issues, my dad has grown tremendously …
She then added:
"From what you've read and from what media has been shoved down your throats, he has a kind heart," she continued. "Having paparazzi following my mom and I has not been thrilling. Paparazzi can bring out many confined feelings of anger and spite out of anyone. My point being, what my dad said was WRONG. What my dad felt WASN'T. Boundaries have to be made. Paparazzi have jobs to do, but some of them jeopardize people's lives and cross a line. My dad has an INFANT CHILD to protect. All the parents out there should understand. You would do anything to protect your baby. Now, let's all quit acting like children. Let my dad be and let him have his room to learn and enjoy his family. As someone very wise once said, 'Be peaceful and love everyone …'" She then concluded:
The controversy has lead to direct fallout for Alec's MSNBC show, "Up Late," which has been struggling in the ratings. On Friday, the cable network suspended the show for two weeks. Alec wrote on MSNBC's website, "I did not intend to hurt or offend anyone with my choice of words, but clearly I have — and for that I am deeply sorry. Words are important. I understand that, and will choose mine with great care going forward."
[Related: Alec Baldwin Denies Homophobic Anti-Paparazzo Rant as GLAAD Sounds Off]
On Saturday morning, Alec took to his blog on The Huffington Post to directly address the controversy surrounding him, acknowledging that there's a possibility that his show might not come back at all. In the post, titled "Two Requests in Light of Recent Events," he reiterated again that he did not use the most derogatory word for homosexuals towards the paparazzo in question.
"I never used the word faggot in the tape recording being offered as evidence against me," he wrote. "What word is said right after the other choice word I use is unclear. But I can assure you, with complete confidence, that a direct homophobic slur (or indirect one for that matter) is not spoken."
He then addressed the decision by MSNBC to suspend his show. "Whether the show comes back at all is at issue right now," he wrote. "The show is no doubt a work in progress and one that I believe featured some interesting guests and disseminated a good deal of interesting information. But if the show dies, its fate ends up being no different than the vast majority of start-up TV programming, and so be it."
He also hinted that he might quit the entertainment industry completely in the wake of last week's events.
"If quitting the television business, the movie business, the theatre, any component of entertainment, is necessary in order to bring safety and peace to my family, then that is an easy decision. This country's obsession with the private lives of famous people is tragic."
He concluded his essay with his two requests alluded to in the article's title. "Two requests. Don't allow my problem to be MSNBC's problem. They are good people who work hard at a job, just like many of you. And two, please respect the privacy of my wife and family. If you have an opinion of me, then express it. Think what you like. But I ask that my wife, who I care about more than words can say, and both my children, be left out of this."
How this incident will shape Alec's future is still unclear. However, it's a pretty solid guess that he intends to lay low for a while now. He disappeared to his home in the Hamptons over the weekend, before returning to Manhattan Monday morning.
