Alec Baldwin apologizes after fiery rant at daughter, 11 [breaks silence]

AFP via Yahoo ^ | 4/20/07

[advance_copy]

Alec Baldwin issued an apology on Friday for unleashing a volcanic tirade at his 11-year-old daughter and blamed "certain people" for leaking the rant to US media.

The Oscar-nominated star of "The Departed" branded daughter Ireland a "rude, thoughtless, little pig" in a fiery voicemail message that emerged on celebrity websites on Thursday.

It is the latest twist to the bitter legal wrangling between Baldwin and ex-wife Kim Basinger over custody and visitation rights relating to Ireland. The couple split in 2001.

Baldwin's tirade was apparently triggered by Ireland's failure to switch her mobile phone on for a scheduled call with her father.

"Once again I've made an ass out of myself trying to get to a phone at a specific time," Baldwin says in the message. "I'm tired of playing this game with you. You have insulted me for the last time.

[free_for_now]

Have you seen Bio-Dome?

[Albion Wilde]

No matter what the mother may or may not have done, his battles with her mother are no excuse for talking to the child abusively. None at all.

[pollyannaish]

No problem, just thought it might be a piece of the public puzzle. You know, it may or may not be related to why she didn’t pick up the phone.

But if she is treated like the phone call in private, then talked about the way she was on Larry King show (clip also at tmz)...and then ridiculed a bit on the Letterman show...I can see where it would just be easier not to talk to the guy.

In any case, thanks for your post 167. Think it explains a lot about what may be going on here.

[pollyannaish]

I would feel completely differently about this if his rant had been addressed to Basinger. But it wasn't. He did this to himself...and it is no one’s fault but his own. He embarrassed himself.

[KsSunflower]

Then, use it legally and behind the scene. To me, what that mom did; airing such a sad and personal issue publicly to get back at the father...not legally or substantively, but for the purpose of vindictiveness...is horrible. What the dad did was obviously in a fit of anger and he was obviously not thinking clearly. What the mom did was thought out and calculated and horrible!!

Believe me, that daughter, if not already, will have serious issues with the mom for what she did.

[bray]

The clown should appologize for breathing. Amazing how these elites love to lecture us on how to raise our kids.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[FreeReign]

"Once again I've made an ass out of myself trying to get to a phone at a specific time," Baldwin says in the message.

How hard could it be to "get to" your cell phone?

He's makes it sound like he had to go all over town to find a working pay phone.

[KsSunflower]

Newsflash - they’re both wrapped up in themselves. That’s why daddy left the message and that’s why mommy plastered it all over the media.

Exactly...what daddy did was indefensible, but when mom released it; she lowered herself to the same narcissistic level upon which he resides.

[pollyannaish]

I’m going to say this again...IF mom released it.

We do NOT know what is going on completely. What if the daughter gave it to someone to release. Then what?

[Albion Wilde]

Are you saying that leaking the tape of him abusing the child has the same moral weight as abusing the child?

[KsSunflower]

That tape was the property of Kim Bassinger. If it was released, it was released with her permission.

Please...do you really think the 11 year old daughter, on her own, managed to get that released to the media?

Even if she told her mom that she wanted it released; one would hope discretion would reign and her mom would educate her daughter on when something is a private issue and when it isn’t. Ridiculous.

[khnyny]

I agree, it’s not an excuse at all, but this story seems a little complicated and has a history. Kim knows Alec’s weak spot is his temper and knows how to push his buttons. In my experience I’ve seen custodial parents try to brainwash their children against the other parent. Also, the custodial parent oftentimes attempts to jerk the other parent around intentionally regarding visitation, etc. It happens all the time, subtly and sometimes not so subtly.

[jhw61]

Maybe she did leak it. Perhaps, she didn’t want her Mom to end up like Nicole Simpson.

[hope]

Moral equivalence doncha know? Pathetic, isn’t it?

[Jo Nuvark]

I don’t know who released the tape. I was responding
to post #282. It’s obvious someone is trying to inflict
the most damage possible to Baldwin.

My comments relate to the ownership of the tapes. Baldwin
left a voicemail. That recording belongs to the daughter and
the Mother (by proxy), and may be used any way they desire.

The point is, people need to be a accountable for the words
they speak. It’s a ridiculous notion for Baldwin to think
he can sue his daughter/wife to take back his words.

Out of the heart speaks the mouth. (Matthew 12:34)

[Albion Wilde]

I actually have some saved messages from my angry ex to me. He uses the same word, okay all the time, like I’m supposed to agree during his loud, angry tirades. And he was a verbally abusive bully during our marriage. That’s why he was thrown out of our home!

Your post made me "hear" it —
"You are a #$%^&, okay? And because of you, I had to $%^&, okay? ..."

LOL!! (I'm laughing now, but it is no laughing matter.)

[KsSunflower]

Yeah, she probably has Harvey Levin’s home number.

Regardless, even if Kim didn’t release it...if she were any sort of a person of character; she would, on behalf of her daughter, come out and say that this was an unfortunate incident which will be handled within their family as they work towards the healing of the relationships.

Hello...it’s called the high road, and someone needs to take it for the good of the child.

[TigersEye]

I saw Alec Baldwin on a TV talk show a long time ago, well before his Henry Hyde outburt, and he was going on and on about how violent and sadistic he and his brothers were to each other. I don’t recall the details now but it went way beyond fist fighting. He was definitely bragging about how sick and mean they were to each other.

[Albion Wilde]

Baldwin is a lunatic leftie, but Kim Basinger is the real idiot here for subjecting her daughter to world-wide ridicule with the release of that phone conversation. Anyone who has kids knows a parent can lose their temper and say stupid, hurtful things. But for a mother to expose her daughter to this public scrutiny is deplorable. The young girl has my sympathy.

Nobody on this thread seems to be scrutinizing the child, but rather the father, who brought this humiliation on himself. It's hard to believe you think his abuse was less deplorable than the exposure of his abuse. If there was no abuse, there'd be no shame in hearing what he said.

[Oztrich Boy]

Yeah, the Moms candy bar message sounds very loving and special. I don’t see what is bad about it.

It might get an "Aw, Mom, you're embarassing me"

Baldwin's antics on Letterman were "Dad, You humiliated me!"

I can see why she might not take his call, court ordered or not.