Alec Baldwin has spoken candidly about the strain in his relationship with his daughter Ireland, attributing it to his acrimonious divorce from her mother, Kim Basinger. The 66-year-old actor shared his regrets on the second episode of his family's new TLC show, The Baldwins.
"My relationship with my daughter Ireland was so negatively impacted by my divorce from her mother," Alec explained. "One of my most regrettable things about the whole thing was how it affected Ireland." He described the custody battle as "really really tough" and "just insanity".
The rift became public in 2007 when a voicemail leaked of Alec calling his then-11-year-old daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig" for not answering his call. Over the years, they have rebuilt their relationship, and Ireland now has a close bond with her seven younger half-siblings from Alec's marriage to Hilaria Baldwin.
Alec noted that he is now determined to avoid similar mistakes with his second-oldest daughter, Carmen, aged 11. "This is why I think I'm so focused on Carmen," he said. "I want to have a good relationship with Carmen because I have a girl all over again."
Ireland, now a mother herself to 22-month-old daughter Holland, has acknowledged the effort required to heal their relationship. "It took a lot of time and a lot of therapy," she told Entertainment Tonight in 2020. "But I love him, I respect him more than anyone."
Meanwhile, Kim Basinger recently expressed "great respect" for Alec, saying they maintain a "genuinely cordial" relationship for the sake of their daughter.
