BWW reported earlier today that MSNBC fired actor and talk show host Alec Baldwin following a series of alleged anti-gay slurs he recently uttered. Now, former host of "Up Late with Alec Baldwin" has opened up to the Gothamist about his dismissal and the show's cancellation.
Addressing the supposed slurs he shouted at a photographer, Baldwin said: "'Faggot' is not the word that came out of my mouth. That I know. But you've got the fundamentalist wing of gay advocacy -- Rich Ferraro and Andrew Sullivan -- they're out there, they've got you. Rich Ferraro, this is probably one of his greatest triumphs. They killed my show. And I have to take some responsibility for that myself."
Ferraro is Vice president of publicity for GLAAD.
The New York Post reported today that sources said Baldwin's "foul-mouthed rant" caused the show to be cancelled. The source also cited the actor's "diva-like behavior toward co-workers", including an alleged incident when Baldwin asked for a makeup room separate from one being used by a woman with cancer who was sensitive to hairspray. After being denied the request, Baldwin reportedly said, "I don't give a f**k if she has cancer or not, I Want That f**king makeup room."
Baldwin responded to this story by telling the Gothamist: "People who I worked with that I cared about-these people were all very supportive of the show. Now there was somebody on the staff who I did not want to work with. There was somebody on the staff who I thought wasn't a good fit for me. And I wouldn't rule out if that person went to the Post and gave them that story. These stories with the Post, the way they work, they have to have some kernel of truth...the woman using that dressing room, I was told she's allergic to some chemical, no one ever ever ever said to me that somebody had cancer, and I never said 'I don't give a f**k...'"
Recent ratings for Baldwin's show have been less than stellar. His most recent show, featuring Debra Winger, delivered just 395,000 total viewers.
A spokesman for Baldwin refused to use the term "fired" to describe the situation, but did concede that, "the show is not coming back. He had questions on whether he wanted to continue."
Baldwin is well known for his portrayal of 'Jack Donaghy' on NBC's 30 Rock, and often hosts the network's Saturday Night Live. Baldwin's Blue Jasmine just hit theaters, and the actor will next appear on the big screen in Caught Stealing.
The actor appeared on Broadway this summer in Orphans. His other stage credits include Twentieth Century, Short Talks on the Universe, A Streetcar Named Desire, Serious Money and Loot, as well as off-Broadway's Entertaining Mr. Sloane, South Pacific, Macbeth and Prelude to a Kiss.
