Alec Baldwin lashed out at liberal late-night hosts John Oliver and Stephen Colbert, insisting that they have help turn talk shows into “grand juries” in the court of public opinion.
“Talk shows were once promotional pit stops for some blithe chit chat about movies, etc,” Baldwin wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “Now the likes of @iamjohnoliver and @StephenAtHome have flipped that and they are beginning to resemble grand juries.”
Talk shows were once promotional pit stops for some blithe chit chat about movies, etc. Now the likes of @iamjohnoliver and @StephenAtHome have flipped that and they are beginning to resemble grand juries.
— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) December 6, 2017
Baldwin, his late-night impressions of President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live notwithstanding, also appeared to take issue with Oliver’s grilling of Dustin Hoffman over allegations of sexual harassment. Monday at a Tribeca Film panel.
“I believe that, in terms of a criminal code or any wrong doing, there are gradations. Our system recognizes a misdemeanor from a felony and so forth. What Hoffman did several years ago was vulgar/offensive/ crude. But was it done with malice?” Baldwin wrote, referencing claims that Hoffman sexually harassed a 17-year-old high school student while filming 1985 TV movie Death of a Salesman.
1- I believe that, in terms of a criminal code or any wrong doing, there are gradations. Our system recognizes a misdemeanor from a felony and so forth. What Hoffman did several years ago was vulgar/offensive/ crude. But was it done with malice?
— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) December 7, 2017
Baldwin appeared to suggest that Hoffman’s alleged behavior was thought differently upon decades ago.
2- behavior has changed significantly over the past 40-50 years. There are changes I never thought possible. Some of it actually for the better. But I’m certain Hoffman believed that there was a crude display of “humor” that everyone was in on yet is unacceptable today
— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) December 7, 2017
3- I think that so long as people are ready, truly ready to learn, then this is more than an important step. I don’t think Hoffman was malicious. His humor, his sexualized behavior seems ridiculous and inappropriate now. But it was, to a degree, of it’s time.
— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) December 7, 2017
4- I think he is a sensitive and intelligent man who acted foolishly and people should accept his apology. Our goal should be for people to do better. For those like HW a different standard should apply.
— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) December 7, 2017
5- But some of those embroiled in this upheaval deserve forgiveness. Perhaps only a few.
This world is difficult enough as it is. Let’s conserve our judgement for those that have truly earned it.
— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) December 7, 2017
In an appearance Thursday on Megyn Kelly Today, the 30 Rock star said that people like disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein deserve to be punished while others, like Hoffman, don’t.
WATCH: “I want to see the people who really did something get convicted… but I don’t want to see innocent people get hurt either.” Alec Baldwin talks to @megynkelly about Weinstein, harassment and more on @MegynTODAY pic.twitter.com/r6887ipdTo
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 7, 2017
“It’s really really tough because you certainly want to see everyone who is guilty of something, who has done bad things, wrong things and hurt people you want to see those people get punished but I don’t want to see other people get pulled into that… there’s a lot of accusations and no proof yet. I don’t want to see people get hurt,” Baldwin told Kelly.
“For me what’s different, is that what’s odd, yes there are people, this is no excuse, but 40 years ago there was a kind of way that people had, a kind of sexualized byplay, a kind of fooling around that was wrong,” Baldwin said of Hoffman. “You look back and you say it was wrong then but it seemed to be less problematic than it is now. Where we live now is that are a lot of things you just don’t do anymore.”
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
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