Strange Things About Alec Baldwin's Marriage

Alec Baldwin's first marriage, to actress Kim Basinger, was the epitome of disastrous. When Basinger filed for divorce in 2001, it was her own dad who told People magazine the actor's "anger" caused Basinger to pull the plug on their relationship. A bitter custody battle over their daughter, Ireland Baldwin, fueled the tabloid fodder, and it apparently took some time for everyone to emotionally heal from the years-long litigation. Eventually, Alec picked up the pieces and found love again in 2011 with yoga aficionado and Extra TV correspondent Hilaria Thomas Baldwin. They wed in June 2012, and Alec's life would never be the same.

We already know what you're wondering: What's it like being married to someone who reportedly has one of the worst tempers the entertainment industry has ever seen? Nothing short of blissful, if you ask Hilaria. But that doesn't mean their romance is conventional. The entertainer and his flexible wife have made their unorthodox union work, but we still can't help but clutch our pearls when they share tidbits of information about their collective idiosyncrasies. Here are some of the strange things about Alec Baldwin's marriage to Hilaria.

Perhaps Alec Baldwin doesn't have much game when it comes to flirting, but his creepy tactic worked on Hilaria Thomas Baldwin when he approached her at a New York City restaurant in 2011. Hilaria told Hello! magazine, "Alec kept looking over at me the whole time." 

When he finally got up to leave the restaurant, he reportedly walked over to her, took her hand, and repeatedly asked her, "Who are you, who are you?'" If you're feeling a bit skeeved out, you're not alone, but to the one person who matters, the move was a good one. Hilaria said she "fell in love with him very quickly and very easily." Growing up without a television meant she was only "vaguely familiar" with who he was. We're guessing she's not a fan of the internet, either. Otherwise, she may have run for the hills after catching up on his past legal issues and drug addiction. He told ABC News he stopped drinking in 1985, and Hilaria was obviously able to accept him, proverbial warts and all. 

Let's recap: His past is marred with drama and his flirting skills are poop. Either way, he hooked Hilaria, so kudos to the happy couple.

When they first met, Alec Baldwin wanted to be sure that he and Hilaria Thomas Baldwin were on the same page. She told Us Weekly that he immediately asked her if she wanted to have kids, adding, "I'm at the age where I need to be serious with who I meet and I need to put all my cards on the table and tell you what I want." Hilaria told the publication his straight-forwardness was "a lot," but she also loved that the actor, who's about 26 years older than her, wasn't beating around the bush. "I was dealing with guys my age who would maybe call me back," she said. "But Alec was very upfront with what he wanted in the beginning. He really wanted to have more kids."

He wasn't kidding about wanting to expand his family. He had one child with ex-wife Kim Basinger during their nearly 9-year marriage, but he had "four kids in 4 ½ years" with Hilaria, he told Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2018. After doing some digging into his background, it appears the actor has actually had babies on his brain for years. In a 2001 feature in People, Alec's apparent modus operandi was revealed. Basinger was quoted as saying that after meeting him at a 1990 dinner, "he kissed me and then asked me if I wanted kids."

What in the baby fever is going on here?

Alec Baldwin made it clear to both Kim Basinger and Hilaria Thomas Baldwin that he wanted to have children. However, his intent to procreate didn't necessarily mean he wanted to spring right into action when he set his sights on Hilaria. "We went six weeks where he would only shake my hand. He wouldn't even kiss me!" the TV correspondent told Us Weekly.

Either Alec doesn't know how babies are made, or he just wanted to take his time with the woman he's now "madly in love" with. We're going to go with the latter, because a couple of months after their first wedding anniversary, they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Carmen Gabriela Baldwin, according to Us Weekly. They've had three more children together as of this writing. In other words, while initially putting intimacy on the back burner may sound strange to some, it's pretty clear that after he put a ring on it, these two couldn't keep their hands off of each other!

There's a sizable age gap between Hilaria and Alec Baldwin, but they don't seem too concerned with their age difference, but maybe that's because Hilaria doesn't realize she's married to an older man. The actor swore he had a secret tactic to keep Hilaria off-kilter during an interview with The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The It's Complicated star said, "When you're 26 years older than your wife, you've got to keep them faked out a lot."

He went on to explain that their five-year vow renewal ceremony and the suggestion that they purchase a new apartment are just two of the ways he keeps Hilaria "off balance so she doesn't really think about what's going on." Hmm, that seems like a sneaky tactic to employ on someone you love. Alec did add that he's "totally in love" with Hilaria, so maybe his tricky motives are pure or just an attempt at being funny. 

Alec and Hilaria Thomas Baldwin have their hands full with four kids who are very close in age. Still, they make time for each other after Hilaria goes through the kiddos' bedtime routine. "Carmen likes to read stories, Rafael likes to cuddle before bed, and Leo is attached to me like a little koala," she told Coveteur in 2017, when she was still just a mommy to three little ones. When nighttime falls, she said Alec tells her, "At night, you're not my wife, you're my girlfriend, and I want to go out with you." Ooh la la. Sounds romantic, doesn't it? Well, not quite.

Hilaria added, "We are very boring." To her, being boring means they're "creatures of habit" who frequent the same establishments over and over again. On the rare occasion that they do venture to a new spot, they can't contain their excitement. "We went to Docks restaurant and were like, 'This is wild.' We were so proud of ourselves, going to a different restaurant. [laughs]." Snore!

Alec Baldwin has an estimated net worth of $65 million. With that amount of dough to his name, he could probably whisk his wife away at a moment's notice to any place in the world. Instead, they like to keep their dates simple and low-key. Speaking with People's Mom Talk, Hilaria Thomas Baldwin said they carve a regular "date night" into their routine, but they're not getting all dolled up and dining at the finest restaurants in the Big Apple. On most nights, they stay in and do a puzzle, and on Valentine's Day, they "ordered takeout."

Alec isn't a cheapskate. Like, hellooo, have you seen the massive engagement ring on Hilaria's finger? So what's with the basic, low-budget dates? Well, during the aforementioned Valentine's Day extravaganza, Alec had an excuse. He was recovering from hip surgery, but even then, they reportedly finished their meal "out of plastic," looked at each other, and said, "Can we go to bed now?" Geez Louise, someone needs to step in and teach this duo how to spice things up!

One thing Alec Baldwin is known for is being a hot-head. The actor made headlines for getting "belligerent" with cops in 2014, and garnered bad press again in 2018, when he was accused of assaulting a guy over a parking spot. Baldwin told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres that latter argument stemmed from his belief that the alleged victim was attempting to run over his wife. Okay, maybe we'll cut him a little bit of slack for defending his boo.

However, Baldwin's flaming temper has been a problem for the majority of the former 30 Rock star's career, but now he has Hilaria Thomas Baldwin by his side as a calming force when he feels his blood boiling. In response to the aforementioned disagreement over a parking spot, the yoga guru told Good Day New York she and her husband were "doing a lot of deep breathing and namaste work at home" to help him combat his anger issues. That wasn't going to cut it in a court of law, though. Alec was ordered to attend anger management courses after pleading guilty to second-degree harassment.

We can only hope that Hilaria's techniques, in combination with his court-ordered classes, will do the trick, but we're a bit skeptical that Hollywood's bad boy can truly turn over a new leaf.

Hilaria Thomas Baldwin told People's Mom Talk that she has the ability to get "wrapped up" in her children, thus losing her "relationship a little bit" in the process. She describes her husband, Alec Baldwin, as being more "old school" in his parenting style. "You're the mom, you take care of the kids, and then I will come and go and I will read a book with them every once in a while' kind of thing," she said. 

If that works for them, then that's fine, but Alec was singing a completely different tune prior to the birth of their first daughter, Carmen Gabriela Baldwin. He told Vanity Fair his dream would be for his daughter to have "no knowledge" of him as a public person. When asked if he was thinking of leaving the entertainment biz behind, he answered, "I'd love to if I could, yeah. That would be the greatest thing in the world."

Let's rewind: he went from wanting to kick his career to the curb and become Mr. Mom to popping in and out of their home to read a book to his children every now and then? Strange. What happened, Alec?

Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas Baldwin share four kids together, and Alec also has a daughter, Ireland Baldwin, from his previous marriage to actress Kim Basinger. Yeah, that's a lot of kids, and Hilaria is down to have even more babies. "I'm the one who's not up for the challenge," Alec told People magazine. Why the cold feet? Well, it all boils down to the reality of his age. "When my kids graduate school, I'll be 85," he said. 

We totally get where he's coming from, and one would think Hilaria knew this could be a legit concern after marrying someone roughly a quarter-century older than her. As we discussed in the aforementioned Us Weekly interview, Alec made it known right away that he wanted to have children when he and Hilaria first met, but it seems a bit strange that he seemingly forgot to address how many kids he saw in his future before the baby-making commenced. This pair must now deal with the conundrum of mismatched family-planning goals. Doh! 

Alec Baldwin snagged an Emmy in 2017 for playing the role of Donald Trump on the comedy series Saturday Night Live. Viewers are fascinated by his spot-on portrayal of the commander in chief, right down to his motionless bouffant and his perfectly skewed mouth. For Hilaria Thomas Baldwin, watching Alec morph into the president is just another day at the office. Been there, done that. 

She told Town and Country that she accompanies Alec to the set and watches him perform from a back room. "I have a coffee, which I don't normally drink, and then that helps me stay awake a bit longer. After that, Alec orders some food, and, after that, I have a glass of wine," she said of her SNL routine. Hilaria also said being away from home during the taping is a win-win because she gets to be in a room that's childless — meaning, it's the perfect place for her to doze off. Yes, she really goes to SNL just to catch some Zzz's. While Alec thinks the taping is "party night" for them, Hilaria views it as an opportunity to enjoy "the best sleep ever."

Does she not realize how many people would do anything for the chance to watch Alec's portrayal of Trump live?