MSNBC suspends Alec Baldwin's talk show; Actor apologizes again for anti-gay slurs
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}November 15, 2013. Actor Alec Baldwin shoves a photographer and tells him to move out of his way after he arrived in his SUV at the building where he lives in New York. (Reuters)
Alec Baldwin has issued a contrite apology for his nasty tirades this week. It hasn’t been a great week for the “Blue Jasmine” actor. He has had to deal with a messy court case involving an alleged stalker, he was videotaped hurling anti-gay slurs at photographers and MSNBC announced that they are temporarily halting production of the actor’s talk show, “Up Late with Alec Baldwin.”
“I would like to address the comments I made this past week,” the statement read. "I did not intend to hurt or offend anyone with my choice of words, but clearly I have—and for that I am deeply sorry. Words are important. I understand that, and will choose mine with great care going forward. What I said and did this week, as I was trying to protect my family, was offensive and unacceptable. Behavior like this undermines hard-fought rights that I vigorously support. I understand "Up Late" will be taken off the schedule for tonight and next week.
"I want to apologize to my loyal fans and to my colleagues at MSNBC—both for my actions and for distracting from their good work. Again, please accept my apology."
The chat show has had tepid ratings. According to Variety, the most recent episode on November 8 reached 395,000 viewers down from approximately 654,000 for its premiere.