Fox News Highlights Alec Baldwin Scandals In 'Who Is Alec Baldwin?'
By Kristin Myers on July 27, 2022 at 11:45 AM EDT
On Monday, Fox Nation ran a special program called "Who Is Alec Baldwin?" which focused on the life and career of actor Alec Baldwin.
As the New York Post reported, the special was hosted by Fox News Channel's Brian Kilmeade and ran on Fox's digital platform which is available by subscription.
The special featured interviews with celebrity life coach Vivace Maxvictor, Wall Street Journal film critic Kyle Smith, movie critic Christian Toto, and The Federalist reporter Emily Jashinsky.
Fox News' 'Who Is Alec Baldwin?' Puts A Spotlight On Alec Baldwin's Controversies
The special first began by talking about Alec's first marriage to his ex-wife Kim Basinger. After starring in the 1991 romantic comedy, "The Marrying Man," the two married in 1993.
The Federalist reporter Emily Jashinsky recalled that the couple was slammed by the press at the time for being "very difficult to work with." The couple had one daughter together, model Ireland Baldwin, before the two finalized their divorce in 2002.
In 2007, Baldwin was involved in another scandal with his then-11-year-old daughter. A leaked voicemail recording showed that Alec left his daughter a message, calling her a "rude, thoughtless little big."
Alec Baldwin Accused Of Having 'Zero Capacity To Care For The Thoughts and Feelings Of Other People'
Celebrity life coach Vivace Maxvictor commented on the incident in the Fox special, saying that Baldwin "has zero self-regulation and zero emotional self-control and zero capacity to care for the thoughts and feelings of other people."
Baldwin, 64, later told Playboy that he had contemplated taking his own life after the audio went public.
“I spoke to a lot of professionals, who helped me,” he said in 2015. “If I committed suicide, they [Basinger’s side] would have considered that a victory. Destroying me was their avowed goal.”
Although many thought that the voicemail would lead to an end to Baldwin's career, it remained largely unaffected by his insensitive remarks. As movie critic Christian Toto asked, “He was a superstar on ’30 Rock.’ Are you gonna kick him off that show?”
"I’m sure NBC Studios could think about it maybe they didn’t think about it but you’ve got a winning show at the very start of its run and he was critical to the success to the chemistry to the formula in play," he continued. "If you give it up — and Hollywood is often very pragmatic and they said no."
Kim Basinger Opens Up About Her Husband In Red Table Talk
In April, the “L.A. Confidential” actress opened up about her marriage to the “Beetlejuice” actor on Facebook Watch’s “Red Table Talk,” where she also discussed her now 26-year-old daughter, Ireland Baldwin, and her struggles with mental health.
During the conversation, Basinger said that Baldwin was not “emotionally and mentally available” for facing tough issues, especially in regard to their daughter.
“You know we’re all fine, we all get along, whatever. But he’s a challenge. We’ve had our challenges,” Basinger revealed. “I don’t think Alec was emotionally or mentally available for that kind of talk. Alec, you know, operates in a very different way in his life.”
Ireland said that she thinks her father suffers from anxiety and described him as “someone who grew up in a family that would suppress that as well or tell him he’s weak for feeling that way.”
“There are things I would go to my father for, but if I ever even try to have this conversation in any way with him, I don’t think he would be able to really absorb any of it,” she added.
Alec Baldwin has since moved on, marrying Hilaria Baldwin in 2012. They welcomed their first child in 2013 and are about to welcome their seventh child this fall.
Fox Nation Special Revisits The 'Rust' Fatal Shooting Last October
The Fox special also touched on the "Rust" shooting incident. Last October, Baldwin was shooting a scene in a church in New Mexico when a gun that he was holding went off. The bullet struck and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
Baldwin turned over his phone earlier this year to aid the Santa Fe police department with their investigation, which is still ongoing. So far, no one has been able to explain how real bullets ended up in a gun used on a movie set.
At this time, no one has been held criminally responsible for Hutchins' death.
“Who is Alec Baldwin?” is available to stream for Fox Nation subscribers.