This week, Americans across the country, and politicians of both parties stood up to condemn the pro-Trump mob who stormed the Capitol, as well as those who incited them. So it’s worth remembering the liberal hypocrisy of people like Alec Baldwin. The Hollywood celebrity is in no position to offer moral lecturing.
Baldwin appeared on the December 11, 1998 Late Night With Conan O’Brien and worked himself into a “joking” rage about the impeachment of Bill Clinton and the Republicans supporting it. Here, in all its ignominy, is what the actor told O’Brien:
I am thinking to myself in other countries they are laughing at us 24 hours a day and I’m thinking to myself if we were in other countries, we would all right now, all of us together, [starts to shout] all of us together would go down to Washington and we would stone [House Republican] Henry Hyde to death! We would stone him to death! [crowd cheers] Wait! Shut up! Shut up! No shut up! I’m not finished. We would stone Henry Hyde to death and we would go to their homes and we’d kill their wives and their children. We would kill their families! [stands up screaming] What is happening in this country? What is happening? UGHHH UGHHH!!!!”
“We’d stone Henry Hyde to death and we would go to their homes and we’d kill their wives and children.”
Do you buy Baldwin’s later claims that he was joking? (In 2017, he snarled, “But all your gutless weasels in the GOP insisted I actually threatened Hyde.") Even if he was, what kind of "humor" was that? And what if some deranged leftist followed through on the actor’s dangerous verbal assault on Republicans and their families?
We all need to be accountable for our actions and statements. That includes Hollywood liberals. Society needs to remember the contemptible Alec Baldwin's dangerous talk.
For more examples from our FLASHBACK series, which we call the NewsBusters Time Machine, go here.
Here’s a partial transcript of Baldwin on Conan O’Brien. Click "expand" to read more.
Late Night With Conan O’Brien
12/11/1998CONAN O'BRIEN: Before we leave, I gotta ask you. It's no secret that you are very political. You are a very political person. It's no secret that you have actually had some associations with the Clintons. That you're a liberal man and I thought you know today, this is a historic day and you're one of the most politically active actors out there. What do you think?
ALEC BALDWIN: I was in Africa. I go to Africa. I mean ladies and gentlemen I am in Africa. For three months I am in the bush and I come back. I come back here and I come back to what? I mean what is happening right now as we speak? Right now the Judiciary Committee, the President has an approval rating of 68 percent. The President is very popular and things are going pretty good and they are voting to impeach the President. They voted on one article of impeachment already.
I come back from Africa to stained dresses and cigars and this and impeachment. I am thinking to myself in other countries they are laughing at us 24 hours a day and I’m thinking to myself if we were in other countries, we would all right now, all of us together, [starts to shout] all of us together would go down to Washington and we would stone Henry Hyde to death! We would stone him to death! [crowd cheers] Wait! Shut up! Shut up! No shut up! I’m not finished. We would stone Henry Hyde to death and we would go to their homes and we’d kill their wives and their children. We would kill their families! [stands up screaming]
