Story highlights
Ireland Baldwin says her dad "has a good heart"
Alec Baldwin is in trouble over an anti-gay slur aimed at a paparazzo
His daughter defends him on Twitter, says he's not a homophobe
Alec Baldwin and his daughter Ireland have apparently mended their differences.
The 18-year-old model used Twitter to defend her father after his use of an anti-gay slur. The younger Baldwin insists that her dad “has a kind heart.”
“For someone who has battled with anger management issues, my dad has grown tremendously,” she tweeted. “My dad is far from a homophobe or a racist.”
(CNN has not been able to verify that the Twitter account belongs to Ireland Baldwin.)
His daughter knows a great deal about such anger issues. In 2007 a voice mail was leaked in which the actor ranted and called his then-11-year-old daughter a “rude, thoughtless little pig.”
Recently Alec Baldwin lashed out at a paparazzo who was outside his Manhattan apartment and called the man a “c******king f*g.”
That resulted in both GLAAD and CNN’s Anderson Cooper taking Baldwin to task.
“Wow, Alec Baldwin shows his true colors yet again,” Cooper tweeted. “How is he going to lie and excuse his anti-gay slurs this time?”
Ireland Baldwin said via Twitter that “Paparazzi can bring out many confined feelings of anger and spite out of anyone” and that “… what my dad said was WRONG. What my dad felt WASN’T.”
“Boundaries have to be made,” she said “Paparazzi have jobs to do, but some of them jeopardize people’s lives and cross a line. My dad has an INFANT CHILD to protect.”
The “30 Rock” star has had a rough time of it lately, with MSNBC putting his show “Up Late” on a two-week suspension in the wake of the scandal. A rep for MSNBC told CNN the show is scheduled to return after the suspension.
On Saturday, Baldwin – who had already apologized for the slur he used against the photographer – posted a piece on The Huffington Post in which he said he would never again use the term “toxic queen” as he did in referring to a tabloid journalist. He expressed amazement at how he has been characterized.
“My friends who happen to be gay are baffled by this,” he wrote. “They see me as one who has recently fought for marriage equality and has been a supporter of gay rights for many years. Now, the charge of being a ‘homophobic bigot,’ to quote one crusader in the gay community, is affixed.”
He also asked that his network not be judged by his actions.
“Don’t allow my problem to be MSNBC’s problem,” he said in his piece. “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. If you have an opinion of me, then express it. Think what you like. But I ask that my wife, who I care about more than words can say, and both my children, be left out of this.”
