Alec Baldwin and Wife Hilaria Face Backlash Over 12th Anniversary Tributes

Actor Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin are back in the headlines weeks after they announced their own reality show coming to TLC next year.

On Sunday, the couple posted touching tributes to their 12th wedding anniversary. Although there were some positive comments on the post, many were negative.

The Baldwin family, especially Alec Baldwin, has been facing a lot of criticism lately due to his upcoming "Rust" trial, which is scheduled to begin on July 9.

On Sunday, June 30, 2024, the “30 Rock” actor shared three photos in an Instagram carousel. The first photo showed Hilaria in her wedding dress on June 30, 2012. The second photo showed the couple posing in the church during their wedding, while the final photo showed a more recent photo of Hilaria cuddled up on her husband’s shoulder.

“June 30, 2012. Although I fell in love with you the moment I met you, marrying you seemed like a dream. Good and bad. Ups and downs. 7 kids. (Plus Ireland, Andre, and Holland.),” he wrote in the caption, referring to his daughter, Ireland Baldwin, whom he shares with ex-wife Kim Basinger. Ireland and her boyfriend RAC recently welcomed a daughter named Holland, making her Baldwin’s first granddaughter.

In addition to the seven children they share together, the “Supercell” actor goes on to state that the couple also shares four dogs and four cats. “In spite of some tough times for me, I wouldn’t trade any of it. Happy Anniversary. You are my gift,” he added to close out his caption. In the comments, Hilaria wrote “you” alongside a blue heart emoji.

However, many of the followers on his page weren’t having it and criticized the actor for several viral incidents, including his upcoming "Rust" trial. “Wait aren’t you Spanish? Are you the same person that said she was Spanish?” one user asked, referring to the controversy that Hilaria – who was born Hillary Lynn Hayward-Thomas in Boston, Massachusetts – has “pretended” to be a Spanish person and occasionally slips into a Spanish-speaking accent. “Fake, fake, fake, just like the fake accent out of that mouth,” another netizen commented.

However, some fans did come to Baldwin’s defense, with one user writing, “Man, all the haters and Karens on every post lately. Jesus, keep scrolling if you can’t be nice!!! Happy Anniversary.” Another follower encouraged the couple to “Ignore the incredibly stupid comments” while also wishing them a happy anniversary.

Hilaria took the third photo of Alec’s carousel and posted it as a single photo while she paid tribute to her husband in the caption. “Happy 12 years of marriage, Alec…not only have there been joyful ups and sad downs that life inevitably brings, but we have also experienced everything from sideways, zigzags, tremendous love, and also things that are so painfully and plainly backward,” she wrote.

“We hang on tight…hold on to family and friends to source our comfort and energy. Lean into gratitude to brighten every day. How lucky am I to have you and our children, Alec. I know I am not here on this page much, as of late, but I will be again….I want you, who is reading this, to know I am grateful to all of you who make this page a supportive community,” she continued. “I hope you feel how much your kindness is a gift that we will forever treasure.”

The comments on Hilaria’s post were much more positive, as she has been known to moderate comments in the past. “Happy Anniversary,” one fan wrote. “You are a beautiful person and you both are blessed to have found each other and created this beautiful life and family.” Another follower agreed, adding, “Life is hard you are lucky to have each other to lean on. Relationships make us stronger and they teach us about ourselves and help us to be better humans. You have a beautiful family.”

On October 21, 2021, Alec Baldwin was filming the Western indie "Rust" when a gun that he was holding went off, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and hospitalized director Joel Souza.

Prosecutors accused armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed of putting live ammunition inside the gun on the movie set. It took a jury less than three hours to find her guilty of involuntary manslaughter but acquitted her of a lesser charge of tampering with evidence.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, who will preside over Alec Baldwin's trial as well, sentenced the rookie armorer to the state maximum of 18 months behind bars. Last month, the judge decided that she would not be forced to testify in Baldwin's trial.

If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Alec Baldwin faces up to 18 months behind bars. His trial is scheduled to start on July 9.