Alec Baldwin Leaves Twitter After Rose McGowan Comment Backlash

Alec Baldwin says he will be temporarily suspending his Twitter activity following criticism of the actor’s recent Friday appearance on PBS News Hour.

On the program, Baldwin discussed the subject of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged rape of Rose McGowan.

“I didn’t know anything,” said Baldwin. “But I know that when you talked about Harvey Weinstein in the business, for example, for decades, you knew that he was highly intrusive in the process of making films. You know, his nickname was Harvey Scissorhands and he was very intrusive in the path of the directors who worked for him. Number two, you knew that he was a very intense guy and very bullying guy, and was shouting and screaming at people and exhorting them when he didn’t get his way. And, last but not least, you heard the rumor that he raped Rose McGowan. You heard that over and over. We have heard that for decades, and nothing was done.”

Pressed on why nothing was done, Baldwin suggested that payments to victims was a potential issue.

“Well, but what happened was that Rose McGowan took a payment of $100,000 and settled her case with him. And it was for Rose McGowan to prosecute that case,” said Baldwin. “When women take money and are silenced by that money, even though they took the money and were silenced because they were told, beyond the money, it was the right thing for them to do, keep quiet, don’t make too many waves, it is going to hurt your career, when they do it, nonetheless, does it set back the cause of change? That’s an issue, I think.”

Baldwin’s comments were immediately met with criticism online. The SNL fixture’s musing about women being “silenced by that money” was quickly picked apart with McGowan, Asia Argento and Patricia Arquette among the voices taking issue with Baldwin’s remarks.

https://twitter.com/rosemcgowan/status/926675960425889792

https://twitter.com/AsiaArgento/status/926828908653285377

https://twitter.com/PattyArquette/status/926838690739118080

In response to the backlash, Baldwin declared on Saturday that he would be suspending his use of his personal Twitter account. In a six-tweet explanation for his self-imposed exile, the actor claims he never intended to victim blame.

https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/926854522886115330

https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/926854850196975616

https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/926855125511163906

https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/926856382883745792

https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/926857239826182151

https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/926859785328308224

Even with Baldwin’s vow to step away from Twitter, his Hilaria and Alec Baldwin Foundation account lashed out at Asia Argento later that afternoon.

“If you paint every man w the same brush, you’re gonna run out of paint or men,” fumed the foundation’s account in a tweet directed at Argento.