It seems that everyone is talking about how actor Alec Baldwin was charged with manslaughter in the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
He wasn’t the only one. Baldwin and “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were both charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. First assistant director Dave Halls pled guilty to a charge of the negligent use of a deadly weapon.
On “The View,” Joy Behar made it known that she felt the charges stemmed from some kind of “political conspiracy” against the “30 Rock” actor.
‘The View’ Panelist Joy Behar Suggests Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Manslaughter Charges Might Have Been Political
ALEC BALDWIN TO BE CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER: After it was announced that Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting on the ‘Rust’ film set, #TheView panel reacts. https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/9amkxb6jkt
— The View (@TheView) January 20, 2023
On Friday’s episode of “The View,” the panel got into a heated discussion about the “Rust” charges. Whoopi Goldberg was absent for the episode, leaving Joy Behar to fill in as moderator. After first outlining the details of the shooting, Behar later insinuated that the charges were political in nature.
“Also, you know, the DA who is indicting him, or whatever the legal term is right now, she’s a big Republican. I’m only saying this because Alec Baldwin is a target for Republicans. They can’t stand him. I’m not saying anything more than that,” Behar said.
However, when the show returned from a commercial break, she quickly clarified her comments. “It’s the special prosecutor who’s now the Republican politician in New Mexico, and not the current DA,” she said. “I get them mixed up sometimes. So, sue me.”
Joy Behar Questions Why Other Producers Have Yet To Be Charged
Although the Santa Fe DA sent a letter to the state requesting funds to prosecute as many as four individuals, only Baldwin and the “Rust” armorer will be facing involuntary manslaughter charges.
“There were four other producers on the show who have not been charged on the movie. Why? That’s one question I have,” Behar said. “He was a producer of story credit, so he had creative involvement, not exactly the job of somebody who would have to check the gun. That’s the job of other people.”
“As a person who’s been in a couple of movies, all you’re thinking of is your part when you’re an actor. I wasn’t worried that my brazier is going to fall off me or whatever, somebody else has to worry about that,” she continued. “You’re interested in your lines and your character and where am I now and where was I two minutes ago. That’s it, so, I don’t really understand what this is about.”
Conservative cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin said that Baldwin was “the actor who pulled the trigger” and felt the charges implied “a bunch of steps of negligence.” Cohost Sara Haines added that, while she does feel for the family of Halyna Hutchins, her heart went “out to Alec Baldwin and his wife, Hilaria, because they have eight kids right now at home.”
SAG-AFTRA Has Also Come To Alec Baldwin’s Defense
“The part that frustrates me as a viewer watching this all play out is the armorist because this was someone, when you read up on the story, she was young, maybe a little under-qualified,” Haines went on.
“To be in charge of lethal weapons on a set is a big responsibility, and to know first and foremost regardless of who thought it was cold gun — the actor, the director, the producers on the show — it’s literally your job’s definition to be responsible for these lethal weapons,” she added.
Behar then went on to say, “But it is not the actor’s job. Why is it the actor? Wait a minute, so someone hands you, the actor, someone says, ‘Here’s a cold gun, I’m the armorer,’ whatever they do, and you’re supposed to know to check it again? How? What are you supposed to do?”
It’s worth noting that SAG-AFTRA has also come to Baldwin’s defense. The guild released a statement following the charges, writing, “The death of Halyna Hutchins is a tragedy, and all the more so because of its preventable nature. It is not a failure of duty or a criminal act on the part of any performer.”
The statement goes on to say, “The guidelines do not make it the performer’s responsibility to check any firearm. Performers train to perform, and they are not required or expected to be experts on guns or experienced in their use.”
