OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Embattled actor Alec Baldwin is in trouble again, this time for what some saw as “sexually suggestive innuendo” related to the first photo published to social media after he was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
As reported by the UK’s Daily Mail, a few days after prosecutors announced they planned to hold him responsible for the October 2021 incident, Baldwin, 64, posted the photo to Instagram and was immediately set upon by followers.
“Under a sweet photo of his son holding his mother’s shoulders as they sat on their living room floor, the Golden Globe winner sent trolls into a frenzy as he suggested his little boy was pulling ‘the old let me give you a back rub ploy’ on mom Hilaria Baldwin,” the outlet reported.
“The public post came just hours after Boston-born Hilaria was ridiculed for slipping into an ‘offensive’ Spanish accent while asking photographers to leave her kids alone in the wake of Alec’s charge,” the outlet’s report continued.
Here’s the ‘offending’ photo:
View this post on Instagram
The trolls lined up to take some potshots at Baldwin.
“That is a super creepy caption wtf,” one user responded.
“Imagine being indicted for involuntary manslaughter and the first post you make after the announcement includes a picture of your attention-seeking wife, posed with your young son, and captioned with a sexually suggestive innuendo,” another wrote.
“Does anyone else think this is creepy af with the caption? Pic is sweet. Caption makes it weird,” said someone else.
“Dude you need consult your team before you post man this does not help your case,” said another.
“Sexualizing children is always so weird but your own child? Yikes,” added another.
But plenty of people came to Baldwin’s support as well while chastizing others who were offering criticisms.
“I am a mother, grandmother, great grandmother and soon to be a great great grandmother. It is shocking that an innocent pic of a child rubbing his Mother’s shoulder’s could cause so much nastiness. Nothing Mr Baldwin said was inappropriate. What is inappropriate is those on here who saw this as sexualization. Your minds are obviously in the gutter. Stop projecting your negative thoughts onto others. Mr Baldwin you have a handsome adorable 6 year old son. Please ignore the negativity and hate that some seem to have for you. I wish you a good day. Good luck and I pray you qin the manslaughter case against you. May you and your family be safe and blessed” one user wrote in an extended post.
“The fact that anyone would find fault with this photo or caption is ridiculous. This photo speaks of healthy love and connection,” said another.
“Can we just keep negative comments off his wall and let the man enjoy his wonderful wife and children. Everything is in the courts, it’s for them to decide. Let the man enjoy his family! Blessing to you and your family Alec,” another user posted.
Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported:
Prosecutors plan to charge Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the movie “Rust” in New Mexico in 2021, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation.
The film’s armorer overseeing weapons, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, is also expected to be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the incident, according to the person.
The film’s first assistant director, David Halls, has agreed to plead guilty to the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, according to the person.
Hutchins died when a gun actor Alec Baldwin was holding fired while practicing a scene on Oct. 21, 2021. The group had been rehearsing in a small church on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set.
Baldwin has claimed that he didn’t pull the trigger.
“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun – or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win,” the actor’s attorney Luke Nikas said in response to the charges, Access Hollywood reported.
