Hilaria Baldwin admitted she never got used to the backlash after facing public scrutiny following her heritage scandal five years ago.
Born Hillary Lynn Hayward-Thomas in Boston, Massachusetts, the former yoga teacher was accused of exaggerating her Spanish heritage after details of her past were uncovered on social media in 2020.
During a recent episode of “The Baldwins,” Alec Baldwin’s wife recalled how she adapted to her surroundings while growing up, which included changing her dialect.
Baldwin claimed she was born in Mallorca and raised in Boston. She said on a podcast in April 2020, that she moved to the U.S. when she was 19-years-old to attend NYU. However, social media sleuths later uncovered the truth that she was born and raised in the states, and may have spent time in Spain with her family.
Hilaria has since apologized for the confusion, and admitted in an Instagram post at the time that “culture, languages, sexual orientations, religions [and] political beliefs” are “allow[ed] to be fluid.”
She admitted on her reality show that the backlash never got easier, but she’s found different ways to block the public out of her mind.
“Being in, the spotlight, as people like to call it. People say, ‘Oh, don’t you get used to it?’ No, you don’t get used to it,” she said.
“You never get used to people being mean. But you take a deep breath, and I think you learn to distance yourself from it, and so, you know, you just try turning down the volume in my head a bit… and I’m not gonna take it personally.”
Baldwin says she adapted to challenges throughout her life, thanks to her multi-cultural influences.
“Growing up in a way where you have multiple cultural influences on you means that you’re never going to be able to fit in. You can try,” she said. “You can chameleon. You know, people who code-switch, we’re very good at chameleoning… and you don’t even think, you’re not even thinking about it. It’s just normal. It’s just natural.”
WATCH: COMEDIAN RECALLS ALEC BALDWIN’S WIFE HILARIA RUNNING TO ACTOR’S DEFENSE AFTER CURBSIDE INCIDENT
Baldwin, 41, compared her bilingual mannerisms to “code-switching.”
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“They say that it’s like communication, if you ever talk to a really old person who cannot hear, and I’m gonna emphasize, I’m gonna speak slower,” she said. “And you’re not even really thinking about it. You just start to do it.
“You know what it’s called? Code-switching… I had to learn about it because the whole world was mean to me, and so I had to learn it. It’s code-switching.”
Last week, Hilaria was by Alec’s side for the opening of Planet Hollywood Times Square in New York City. While on the red carpet discussing their reality show, Hilaria snapped at her husband for talking over her during an interview.
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The “30 Rock” actor quipped that their TLC series should be renamed “The Hilaria Show,” during an interview with Extra, while Hilaria was explaining they would “see how it feels” for the program to be on airwaves.
“It’s gonna be great. You’re a winner,” Alec told Hilaria as she was speaking with the reporter.
“Oh my God. When I’m talking, you’re not talking,” Hilaria replied. “No. When I’m talking, you’re not talking.”
Alec apologized before Hilaria added, “This is why we’ll have to just cut him out of the show.”
The Baldwins celebrated their 12-year anniversary last year, days before Alec went to trial for involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 shooting death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The couple have seven children together: Carmen Gabriela, 11, Rafael Thomas, 9, Leonardo Ángel Charles, 8, Romeo Alejandro David, 6, Eduardo Pao Lucas, 4, María Lucía Victoria, 3, and Ilaria Catalina Irena, 2.
