Tragic Details About Alec Baldwin's Oldest Child Ireland
This article contains mentions of sexual assault.
Being the daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, Ireland Baldwin was thrust into the spotlight from the moment that she was born. However, the downsides of being a nepo baby immediately overshadowed the benefits. Just three days after she was born, in 1995, Alec was arrested for allegedly assaulting a photographer after attempting to protect his daughter's privacy. In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, the "Boss Baby" actor shared, "Anyone with a shred of human decency would understand that there are times in your life when you want your privacy respected, whether you are a public figure or not. I do believe that bringing your wife and 3-day-old baby home from the hospital is one of those occasions." The early days of Ireland's life were perhaps an indication of how her future would play out with a lot of chaotic and sometimes tragic moments.
Ireland, now a mom to one amazing daughter, has built a beautiful life for herself. Sharing some of the highlights on social media in June 2024, she even said so herself, writing in an Instagram caption with a carousel of photos, "I think I like this little life dump." But no matter how picturesque it all may seem on social media, it hasn't been easy for Ireland to get to this point. From messy divorces to mental health struggles, her journey has consisted of a lot of troubling situations, some of which the public may not even be familiar with.
Ireland was called a nasty name by her father
There are a lot of nasty comments that come with being in the public eye, but rarely, if ever, would you expect one of those horrible remarks to come from your father. Unfortunately for Ireland Baldwin, she knows what it's like to have her father call her horrible things.
Ireland faced tragic situations from an early age, one of those being her parents' messy divorce. In 2000, at just seven years old, Ireland's parents, Alec and Kim Basinger, decided to separate. As if dealing with a parent's divorce isn't difficult enough, Ireland was in the middle of a heated custody battle that led to Alec calling her a pig. A leaked voicemail in 2007 had "The Departed" actor calling Ireland a "rude, thoughtless pig." People were disgusted by the nasty voicemail, and Baldwin quickly apologized. As noted by People, he wrote on his website, "I'm sorry, as everyone who knows me is aware, for losing my temper with my child. I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now." However, Alec's comments would leave a lasting mark on Ireland, regardless of his apology.
The actor revealed on "Good Morning America" in 2017 that even a decade later, the voicemail still haunted the father-daughter duo. He shared, "It's a scab that never heals because it's being picked at all the time by other people. My daughter, that's hurt her in a permanent way."
Ireland struggled with eating disorders
In 2018, Ireland Baldwin got vulnerable like never before, telling her followers about her struggles with an eating disorder. According to People, the then-22-year-old shared an old photo of herself to her Instagram Story with the caption, "Anorexia Throwback," before further explaining her struggles. She shared, "I battled with many eating disorders and body issues as a younger girl and it took me a long time to find self love and acceptance! Trust me, all of that pain and destruction I inflicted on myself wasn't worth it."
Baldwin admitted to her followers, she would take bites of her food before running off to the restroom and revealed that her eating disorder was especially triggered during her modeling career. The disorder also caused her to distance herself from her parents, but luckily, the former model was able to recognize the toxic behavior and put a stop to it.
In 2020, Baldwin celebrated the 6th anniversary of not having an eating disorder with a now-deleted Instagram post. Per People, she wrote, "Got a call from my old program yesterday... 6 years. Wanted to announce that today is the 15th of August, and today marks six years that I have been free of anorexia and bulimia and all of my other food compulsion and eating disorders that I have struggled through for many years." While the journey to get to where she was wasn't easy, Ireland was able to push through the challenging time.
Ireland's troubling reveal
There was no easy way to put it when Ireland Baldwin opened up about her past and revealed she had been raped as a teenager. The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 was a controversial moment among Americans, with the decision stripping away the constitutional right to an abortion for women across the country. With the decision, many women took to TikTok to share their stories regarding abortion, including Baldwin.
Days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Baldwin talked about her experience with abortion and, in the process, revealed she had been raped. According to ET, in the since-deleted video, Baldwin shared, "I was raped when I was a teenager and I was completely unconscious when it happened and it changed the course of the rest of my life." The former model kept this to herself, not even telling her parents, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger.
Ireland admitted that, after the incident, she spiraled. She was hanging with the wrong crowd and doing things she shouldn't be doing. The businesswoman revealed she got into a relationship, but it was anything but perfect, as they were unhappy with each other. So, when Ireland suddenly got pregnant, she decided to get an abortion. She explained in the video, "I chose to get an abortion because I know exactly what it felt like to be born between two people who hated each other...I chose me, and I would choose me again."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Ireland Baldwin relies on one parent more than the other when it comes to her anxiety
Many share the highlights of their life on social media, but Ireland Baldwin is not afraid to post about the more difficult moments. She's been open about her struggles with anxiety and shared a vulnerable post about it in March 2022, including snaps of herself having an anxiety attack after drinking some coffee. She wrote on Instagram, "It's anxiety attack time...I am currently writing this from the bathroom floor. I usually sit here like this or lay in fetal position until I can't cry or throw up anymore."
Unfortunately, dealing with anxiety is nothing new to Ireland. In 2022, while appearing on "Red Table Talk," the former model revealed that anxiety is something she has struggled with since she was a kid. One of the first times she noticed her mental health struggles was when her parents, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, divorced.
Speaking of her parents, Ireland revealed on "Red Table Talk" that she can rely on her mom more than her dad when it comes to her anxiety. She shared, "She's [Basinger] definitely my go-to person. She's the one I call when I'm panicking ... when it's starting to build up." As for her dad, she said, "He can't really sympathize as much with." But Ireland doesn't blame him for that, saying that the way he grew up required him to suppress emotions and struggles like anxiety.
Ireland Baldwin is constantly compared to her mother
It's not uncommon for people to get compared to their parents when it comes to their looks, but the similarities drawn between Ireland Baldwin and her mom, Kim Basinger, leaned more on the negative side than the positive.
Basinger, a beautiful actor, has been praised for her appearance. Even Baldwin is left in awe by her mom's beauty, sharing a rare picture of her online in 2017. Per People, she wrote in the caption, "Rare moment alert Momma Kim in the flesh. I have no idea how people are born this beautiful." But Basinger's looks, although stunning, have also caused Baldwin to face harsh criticism.
Ever since she was a little girl, the former model has been trolled online for not matching her mother's beauty. Baldwin shared how difficult this has been on her in a deleted post on Instagram as seen by Today, writing, "I have been called some version of fat, ugly, worthless and irrelevant by grown adults on the internet since I was a kid. It's nothing new," she continued, "I have spent way too many years starving myself, binging, purging, measuring, stepping on scales, spitting food into my purse, and all around ruining my body because some troll told me I'll never be as thin and beautiful as my mother." Although it can be difficult, the comparisons didn't fracture Baldwin's relationship with her mom, as she shared that her mom has instilled confidence in her by constantly complimenting her.