Hilaria Baldwin responds to critics on social media
Hilaria Baldwin, a New York wellness personality and yoga studio owner who’s married to actor Alec Baldwin, came under fire on social media over the weekend for misrepresenting her heritage and nationality over several years.
Baldwin admitted Sunday that she is not half Spanish, that she was not born in Spain and that her given name is Hillary. Although she had claimed her place of birth was the Spanish island of Mallorca, Baldwin was born in Boston, internet sleuths found, which she later confirmed.
“I’ve seen chatter online questioning my identity and culture,” the 36year-old Baldwin said in an Instagram video Sunday. “I was born in Boston and grew up spending time with my family between Massachusetts and Spain.
“My parents and sibling live in Spain, and I chose to live here, in the USA,” she added. “We celebrate both cultures in our home — Alec and I are raising our children bilingual, just as I was raised.”
Baldwin also said she “mixes” English and Spanish when she gets “upset or nervous” and that at one point in her life, she decided to “consolidate” her two names, Hillary and Hilaria.
“I am a white girl. Let’s be very clear that Europe has a lot of white people in there,” she said. “My family is white. Ethnically, I am a mix of many, many, many things. Culturally, I grew up with two cultures. So it’s really as simple as that.”
Baldwin did not respond to a request for further comment and indicated she’d be taking a break from social media.
The scandal broke on social media as an afterthought to a short-lived spat between comedian Amy Schumer and Baldwin. Last week, Schumer reposted a photo that Baldwin had posted of herself in revealing underwear while holding her newborn, a common visual theme for the wellness figure known for her “Mom Brain” podcast and her openness about issues related to reproduction and miscarriage.
Defending herself against Schumer, Baldwin took to social media to condemn body-shaming. But from there, some users online took note that Baldwin’s “Spanish” accent was fluctuating and switching to standard Northeastern U.S. English.
On Sunday, Alec Baldwin, who has five children with Hilaria, also came to her defense by posting a nearly nine-minute video to Instagram and calling the backlash “ridiculous.”
“You have to consider the source,” the “Saturday Night Live” guest star said. “We live in a world now where we’re hidden behind the anonymity of social media. People feel that they can say anything. They probably would like to do anything if they weren’t at risk of getting caught and going to prison ... just shoot it all over you and spray it all over you, their venom and their hate.”
Ireland Baldwin, 25, Alec’s daughter with ex-wife Kim Basinger, also defended her stepmom in a series of Instagram Stories. She called Hilaria Baldwin’s critics “sad and pathetic” and told people to stop sending her the viral meme about having to share her Baldwin inheritance with her half brothers and half sister.
“She’s a caring person who has always respected my relationship with my dad, and I have a great relationship with her. … Hilaria is a wonderful mother who takes great care of her kids, and she takes great care of my dad and that’s really all that matters to me.”