Alec Baldwin can’t seem to control his temper. Over the years, the actor has become well known for both his comic chops and volatile…
Alec Baldwin can’t seem to control his temper.
Over the years, the actor has become well known for both his comic chops and volatile behavior. On Friday, he showed his hotheaded side yet again when he was arrested for punching a man in the face in New York City, allegedly following a dispute over a parking spot.
Here’s a look at Baldwin’s most notable moments that have earned him his not-so-stellar reputation.
In October 1995, Alec Baldwin was placed under citizen’s arrest after allegedly punching a photographer in the nose, according to the Los Angeles Times. Baldwin said at the time he was trying to protect his then-newborn daughter Ireland from paparazzi.
In a statement shared with the newspaper, Baldwin said, “Anyone with a shred of human decency would understand that there are times in your life when you want your privacy respected… I do believe that bringing your wife and 3-day-old baby home from the hospital is one of those occasions.” He continued: “I’m sorry for any problems caused and I look forward to (the photographer) Mr. Zanger and I putting this behind us.”
The incident was the first of several run-ins Baldwin had with photographers. He has since shoved and/or screamed at photographers he felt were too close to him and his family, in 2012,2013 (detailed below) and 2016.
In April 2007, Baldwin was heard on a voicemail firing insults at ex-wife Kim Basinger, and calling their then-11-year-old daughter Ireland a “rude, thoughtless little pig.”
The actor apologized for the message and Ireland took it as a reaction to her dad’s frustration over his custody battle with her mother.
Eight years later, Baldwin was able to joke about the incident with Ireland, who posted a photo of the two of them reading a book called “If I Were a Pig… “
In December 2011, Baldwin was booted from an American Airlines flight after he caused a scene when he refused to stop playing the Scrabble-style game “Words with Friends.”
According to a Facebook post by the airline, Baldwin acted aggressively when asked to turn off his phone on board. The airline said he was kicked off the flight after he “slammed the lavatory door so hard, the cockpit crew heard it and became alarmed” and he “was extremely rude to the crew, calling them inappropriate names and using offensive language.”
“It was never my intention to inconvenience anyone with my ‘issue’ with a certain flight attendant,” Baldwin later wrote in a piece published by the Huffington Post. “The lesson I’ve learned is to keep my phone off when the 1950s gym teacher is on duty.”
In June 2013, the “Glengarry Glen Ross” star took to Twitter to defend his wife, Hilaria, who was accused of tweeting during James Gandolfini’s funeral.
“Someone wrote that my wife was tweeting at a funeral. Hey. That’s not true. But I’m gonna tweet at your funeral… you toxic little queen,” Baldwin wrote in an expletive-laden rant directed at MailOnline writer George Clark. Clark had earlier commented on the fact the Hilaria’s Twitter account was sharing upbeat posts while mourners were at church.
It was just one of Baldwin’s many Twitter rants. The star has deactivated his account several times over the years, but he always comes back for more.
In November 2013, Baldwin was caught on tape yelling a homophobic slur at a photographer.
Though Baldwin apologized on Twitter and maintained that he never delivered a universally derided epithet, Anderson Cooper wasn’t convinced Baldwin was sorry: “Just read Alec Baldwin’s latest excuses. They are actually so ridiculous they are funny,” he tweeted.
At the time of the incident, Baldwin had an MSNBC show called “Up Late With Alec Baldwin.” It was pulled off the air for two weeks. Later, MSNBC canceled the show entirely.
Baldwin wrote in another Huffington Post editorial: “Two requests. Don’t allow my problem to be MSNBC’s problem. They are good people who work hard at a job, just like many of you. And two, please respect the privacy of my wife and family.”
In May 2014, Baldwin was arrested for riding his bicycle the wrong way on Fifth Avenue.
Baldwin didn’t have his ID with him when he was riding, so he was issued two criminal summonses: one for the traffic offense and one for disorderly conduct. That’s when the President Trump impersonator “became belligerent” with the officers, according to the police report.
After the incident, Baldwin tweeted that New York City is “a mismanaged carnival of stupidity that is desperate for revenue and anxious to criminalize behavior once thought benign.”
More: Alec Baldwin arrested in New York after punching a man in a parking dispute
