Last week, Alec Baldwin was briefly hospitalized after it is believed that he threatened suicide over the phone to his 14-year-old daughter Ireland. Initially, the report was that Ireland was in New York with her dad, but now the evidence suggests that she was with her mom, and that it was an argument over the phone that triggered the incident. Anyway, Alec didn’t actually take anything (except maybe an Ambien, according to the Enquirer). After Alec was released from the hospital, he was certainly well enough to attack a photographer. In any case, this Enquirer report is mostly a rehash of that incident, with one new twist: Alec Baldwin is blaming everything on his ex-wife, Kim Basinger. Of course.
Alec Baldwin believes his bitter ex-wife Kim Basinger is trying to sabatoge his big night co-hosting the Oscars, say sources.
“Kim’s trying to throw me off my game – but I’m going to do a superb job,” Baldwin vowed to a pal.
Baldwin, who’s headlining the March 7 telecast with Steve Martin, was “still steaming days after landing in the hospital following an embarrassing 911 call by his 14-year-old
Daughter Ireland – an incident he believes was engineered by Basinger, say insiders.Ireland, who was in LA, reportedly had a phone argument with her father while he was at his New York apartment – and he allegedly told her: “I’m tired of this. I’m going to take some pills. I’m going to end this.”
Ireland tried to call back, and when he didn’t answer, she called 911, saying she feared a “possible alcohol or drug overdose” according to a published report. Baldwin was rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital and examined for 45 minutes before being released.
“Alec admitted taking only one Ambien sleeping pill, which isn’t life-threatening,” an NYPD source told the Enquirer. “He simply wanted to go to bed after what he called a ‘typical’ father-daughter fight ‘about next to nothing.’ It’s his contention that Ireland told her mom about the call, and Kim told her to call 911 to embarrass him. Obviously, there’s no love lost.”
[From The National Enquirer, print edition, March 1 2010]
Now, I’m not on either side, Team Alec or Team Kim. I think they’re probably both huge tools. But in this particular incident, I’m Team Kim. What kind of douchey father tells his daughter (the “rude, thoughtless little pig”) that he’s going to commit suicide after a fight about nothing? My original view of this incident is unchanged: Alec is a passive-aggressive drama queen who needs to get a grip.
A few days ago, I put this Gawker story in the links, and it’s worth another look. It’s an examination of why Hollywood is still in Alec Baldwin, even though it’s pretty clear, in Gawker’s Brian Moylan’s words “Baldwin clearly has a very troubling approach to parenthood.” The eventual verdict? It’s because liberal Hollywood likes Baldwin’s liberal politics, and oh yeah, he’s a good actor too. It’s a pretty interesting piece.
Alec Baldwin and Ireland on January 25, 2009. Credit: WENN. Alec “attacking” the pap in New York on February 11, 2010. Credit: Mauceri/Donnelly/INFphoto.com
There is no disputing the man is a good actor, unfortunately his range is limited as he can’t act like a good father.
Alec is a very intense actor, and his roles in “Ghosts of Mississippi” and “The Edge” come to mind almost immediately when I think of him.
I see a barely contained rage in him; maybe that’s the trade-off for his intense acting, but that terrifies me, both as a mother of 3 and a survivor of domestic abuse.
Blaming the ex-wife, well, I guess he’s on board the same train as Jon Gosselin, Michael Lohan, Charlie Sheen, and the other low-rent ex’s who just can’t take responsibility for their own actions. I know it takes two to make a marriage, but it takes two to break a marriage as well.
She’s a gorgeous girl-but that is such an inappropriate dress for someone her age!
i agree with the article that the man gets a pass because he has the right liberal credentials. do the women on ‘the view’ get all over his case for his behavior the way they do other, less-credentialed, actors? uh. that would be a resounding no. the double standard lives and thrives among the elite. any father who threatens suicide to his child is despicable. i don’t care how inflammatory his teen-age daughter was, HE’S the adult and needs to remain in control and set an example as to how to handle conflict and difficulty. emotional manipulation and abuse and scare tactics are not the proper example.
I agree. Team Kim on this one. Alec is losing his cool often and saying really dumb things lately.
It’s not news that exes always blame eachother for shit that happend between them, but threatening suicide to a child is just unnaceptable.
Sort of like Hollywood’s acceptance/defense of Woody Allen and Roman Polanski despite their very troubling history.
HappyMom, I think it’s a lot more appropriate than what I see most 13 and 14 year olds wearing. Very few have on clothes that cover them. She’s got a slight V and an open back, but Noah Cyrus and Ali Lohan are better examples of inappropriate.
Further, her teeth aren’t whitened, her hair isn’t highlighted, she’s not been enhanced, she’s not standing around posing like a fame wh*re. The nanny must be doing a heck of a job. She’s a pretty teenager who’s being allowed to look like a teenager. I can’t believe she’s the product of those 2 crazies.
Alec Baldwin is nuts. Great actor, but anyone who behaves towards their child the way he does just strikes me as crazy.
Poor Ireland 🙁
At least she got good genes from her parents, she is a very beautiful young lady.
While I am sure she had a nanny, when they lived in NYC Ireland was always atached at Kim’s hip. Kim may or maynot be a prize herself. But when I knew her casually years ago, she loved her baby now teen and was always with her. Whatever Ireland is or isn’t her mom played a very big part.
As for Alec, he is amazing actor dedicated to his mom. Professionally he is smart, funny and intense. But I am sure many Upper Westsiders (here in NYC) has been witness to him screaming into his mobile as he walked the street.
Such a shame the daughter has to go through this stuff. But then again, don’t all families have their craziness, we just aren’t privy to the craziness.
In spite of everything, I somehow manage to find Baldwin charming. But if he were an outspoken conservative, I doubt that Hollywood would be as forgiving of his bad behavior.
Alec should control himself – but Kim is a total nutcase, knows what buttons to push, and is using her child to get back at her ex
He gets a pass because he is who he is, which is stupid. He is a terrible father and a bitter man in general. Easy to blame others when you are the one causing all the drama!
A fair piece, glad the gawker link was included. Baldwin is quite a character to watch alright, but probably not someone one wants to know up close and personal. Sad that the girl is raised in such an environment, her parents should be ashamed of themselves, esp. Baldwin.
This whole family should be in frequent therapy: individual, father-daughter, mother-daughter…
I’m reading a lot of vitriol towards Kim, and from what I’ve read, she has some mental problems, one of which is the fear of leaving her home (not sure what that one’s called officially). Alec’s way of “helping” her with that fear was to forcibly remove her from the house. Not exactly what a therapist recommends, no? While I agree that Ireland got the short end of the stick in the parenting department, both parents share the burden of responsibility for their choices and crappy parenting.
Look, unless you personally know Kim you have no way to decide that he is blaming her without cause. Just because the guy publicly acts like a jerk it doesn’t mean she is not the source of his behaviour. Stop defending her because she’s a woman! If she were over her marriage she would have a partner and possibly another family. She is just better behaved in public, that’s all.
I feel so sorry for Ireland. Divorce is hard on kids but this one is bound to leave a few scars on her soul. If that is her in the picture with her dad, she is gorgeous. As for Baldwin, he is funny but I just think of him as one of the brothers that used to be hot and then they all got fat and crazy.
Alec and Kim would not win “parent of the Year” anytime soon. But the fact remains they share a child together and will have to learn to co exist for their daughter. So maybe it is time for both of them to scale back the drama and be proper parents.
Sorry, but I didn’t read “I’m going to end this” as a suicide threat, I read it as this conversation is over. With such a bitter divorce and Alec’s inability to leave words better left in the brain then on the tongue “rude, thoughtless little pig” (I have 2 teenagers, trust, these words roll around in your mind but should never be verbalized), and Kim’s wackiness, it is amazing that she has turned out so lovely.
Rosanna
Not sure if your comments were directed toward me, but I did know her casually when she lived in NYC. Lost touch as lives went in different directions. I defend what I knew. As I said, she may have had issues about NYC but she was always with Ireland and Kim’s mom was also frequently with them.
alec is a heavy drinker for years ( cough* alcoholic * cough), that would explain his behavior…
“Kim’s trying to throw me off my game – but I’m going to do a superb job,” Baldwin vowed to a pal. – Who OF COURSE immediately ran to the Enquirer to report what he’d said. Some pal. *sarcasm*
“What kind of douchey father tells his daughter (the “rude, thoughtless little pig”) that he’s going to commit suicide after a fight about nothing? My original view of this incident is unchanged: Alec is a passive-aggressive drama queen who needs to get a grip.”
According to the article which YOU posted Kaiser, he did NOT tell her he was going to commit suicide. He said he was going to take some pills, (which he did, an Ambien) and end this – meaning the phone call. His daughter, probably emotional herself after their argument, interpreted it that way and called 911 either a). on her own out of genuine concern or b). because her mom convinced her she should.
Now I’m not saying that Alec Baldwin isn’t a douche with anger management problems. He seriously needs to take some personal responsibitly for the demise of his marriage and the current state of affairs between all parties but this incident sounds like a huge misunderstanding to me. You make it sound like a FACT that he told her he was going to committ suicide. This is what I have a problem with.
Now as a blogger for this site you are entitled to your personal opinions and of course, your writing is going to reflect that but how many people are going to read your post and without bothering to read the article is going to jump on the “Alec Baldwin is an epic douche for threatening suicide to his daughter,” bandwagon?
I get it, negativity sells and it’s fun to sip on some haterade and have a go at some celebs and some deservedly so but in my experience, people are not all bad all the time and I think this drama is being blown way the hell out of porpotion.
I think his daughter did the right thing. Suicide is not something you take lightly – even if she did misinterpret what he said – she was right to call 911. How would she live with herself if he DID actually try to “end this” and died?
This guy is an idiot, and I have no respect for his behavior – I can’t even watch him act because all I can think about is how mean he is to his daughter.
I love Alec and will watch any movie he is in, not matter how small the part. He is a scene stealer. What I don’t understand is why is Alec even playing Kim’s games. He is adored by the public and on top of his game. I feel bad for fathers who have to fight to get even some sort of custody of their kids. I think it turns many of them bitter. I don’t understand why the woman is almost automatically assumed to get physical custody.
That’s a picture of Ireland? I had to look at the credit twice – she looks old enough to be his girlfriend, not at all like a 14 year old. I hope she’s okay, despite her parents.
he’s a good actor and he had a nasty divorce and he has trouble with his teenager daughter(like some fathers)
Why do people keep saying she’s crazy? What did she do? I’m trying to find information on this, but there’s really nothing except some anxiety problems and limiting Alec’s time with the kids. I’m really curious because it seems a general consensus that she’s crazy but I can’t find any evidence that shows this.
They are both completely mental. Alec is an alcoholic and Kim is an agoraphobic-she fears open spaces and has panic attacks.
Alec is still a force in Hollywood because he’s a good actor; one of the best. He’s funny and he has a job on 30 Rock because he’s constantly on SNL and Tina Fey got to know him (professionally) and she probably likes his professional personality.
Quite frankly his career seemed to have stalled for a bit until he got this job.
I doubt the ambulance medical team would have taken him to the hospital if he seemed fine. And if he was fine, why did Baldwin agree to go?
I imagine in his small pea brain it was more accoeptable to blame Kim for what happened rather than scrutinize his own actions and take some responsibility.
what a pretty girl. too bad her parents are so selfish.
When most people get divorced, even at it’s most bitter, at some point for your own sanity, you just have to get over it and move on. Baldwin seems to thrives on the anger and rage. I so expect a news story about him assaulting someone in the near future. He has no control. And instead of blaming the ex, maybe he should take some accountability for his actions – that’s the part about him that pisses me off. It is always someone else’s fault – she leaked the voicemail, she called the paps to his house for when he comes back from the hospital – not “I was in the wrong”. He scared his child into thinking that he was going to kill himself because they had a fight. That is simple emotional blackmail. The damage that their games have done to this child is unlimited. The day this kid turns 18 and cuts them both out of her lives, the better for her.
Dude, get more therapy, maybe some electric shock therapy, get regalarly laid, try yoga but tone it the hell down.
May I point out that Brian from Gawker is not a father. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I think Kim is insane and would do absolutely anything to cause Alec Baldwin pain and/or embarrassment.
“I doubt the ambulance medical team would have taken him to the hospital if he seemed fine. And if he was fine, why did Baldwin agree to go?”
Ally – excellent points that no one else seemed to pick up on.
And I suppose the author of this post is June Cleaver? Mrs. Huxtable? Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way? You’re not.
I don’t think it sounded like he threatened suicide. It’s a shame this even got out into the public sphere because it’s a personal matter and possibly a mistaken situation.
#34–a person who has been reported to have possibly attempted suicide has NO CHOICE but to go with the ambulance to the hospital. This is something that is used as a “tactic” — bitter people asking the police to perform a “well check” on someone usually results in hospital visit. Espeically if AB admitted to taking an Ambien. Ambulance has no choice but to take the person in to be examinated. They cannot just say, oh ok, you aren’t suicidal then. We’ll just be going, sorry to bother you.
He saved Kim from bankruptcy a while back and I think that was really a great gesture. He probably still loves her – based on the way he behaves.
Too bad people don’t realize live is sooo short. Anyway, I think he is OK, save for his big mouth. He seems harmless – dogs that bark…
That’s what I think so too, if there is so much resentment going on in his relationship with Kim then there must still be some love left. Ireland is a beautiful girl, it’s sad that she has been dealing with her parents divorce for so long.
Clearly, Kim Basinger must vote Republican or Alec would be able to just set his rage and anger aside and move on with his life. How can he keep it in when she is being so selfish? I mean if she would just stay out of the spotlight and keep her opinions to herself then he could clearly stop fighting with his daughter and teaching her that pills solve your problems. It’s ALL Kim’s fault.
I’m team Ireland on this one. That poor kid handled it perfectly right. Maybe next time Daddy will think twice about his empty threats.
“Alec should control himself – but Kim is a total nutcase, knows what buttons to push, and is using her child to get back at her ex”
Yeah, that’s his version, but where’s the proof? I’ve never seen Basinger taking this public. Alec is the one giving the anti-Kim interviews and writing the anti-Kim book. She may be leaking the negative stories (again, no proof) but even if she is, he’s the one actually behaving badly.
Funny how so many men devoted to Mommy tend to hate other women.
If Kim was such a great mother she wouldn’t have released the message Alec left on their answering machine saying all those things. No one really knows why he said it and maybe she was a brat but if Kim wants to protect her daughter then maybe she should stop throwing her daughter in the middle. He has showed up with his daughter to some red carpet events after the the whole message thing and they seemed to have patched things
I think he agreed to go to the hospital so that his daughter could see he is ok. Im not saying he is father of the year but a lot of people here are making Kim look like a saint
Kims always been a lunatic. Anxiety attacks, agrophobia, recluse, nervous problems, insecurities. I remember years ago when she accused Prince of holding her against her will for months at his mansion, kidnapping her, performing spells on her. She has always been a banana. She is the worst type of woman, that has always made it hard for Alec to see his child. Just because he is a man, it does not mean he can’t cry, vent and tell his frustration over that. Nothing is more cruel, damaging, selfish or nasty, than denying a parent the right to be with their child. This
is the worst type of parent. I believe Kim would be exactly like that.
People also conveniently forget that years ago Kim invested in a whole town. She lost millions and was declared bankrupt. It was none other than Alec who paid out her debts and saved her from financial ruin.
I’m not a fan of man bashing, when it’s unwarranted all together.
Therapy….Kim’s has had therapy from her late teens, it has got her no where!
“I’m tired of this. I’m going to take some pills. I’m going to end this.”
Thorough asshole.
Don’t you think that if Kim was behind this she would have told Ireland to hang up the phone and go to bed so he could die in his sleep? C’mon people!
Alec is a gifted actor and an intelligent person, passionate about his career, politics, causes, and family. Exactly what was said or how it was phrased, none of us know, or have the right to know. The relationship between Alec, Kim, and their child is private. Maybe everyone who thinks the need to form an opinion regarding these personal family matters needs to get a life. None of us are perfect, and judgment is best left for ourselves. Everyone that believes they need to judge the behavior of others, needs to stop and take a long look in the mirror of their own life.