Hilaria Baldwin Speaks Further on Controversy Surrounding Her Heritage

Hilaria Baldwin has spent a week defending herself after old videos surfaced of her speaking in a presumably Spanish accent. Though more recent videos on her social media sound like what you might expect from a person who was raised in Massachusetts, the clips from years back caused an internet uproar over something Baldwin believes to be inconsequential.

In a new interview with the New York Times, the wife of actor Alec Baldwin maintained she’s done nothing wrong. 

“It’s very surreal,” said Baldwin. “There is not something I’m doing wrong, and I think there is a difference between hiding and creating a boundary.”

Baldwin proffered explanations for the offending segments, saying she split her youth between Spain and the U.S. and noting that her family still lives abroad. A segment where she appeared to forget the word “cucumber” led people to accuse her of pretending English was her second language. However, Hilaria said it was just nerves from appearing on television. Ultimately, Baldwin said the confusion around her accent (or lack thereof) and upbringing was the result of boundaries she set between her life and her followers on social media.

“One of the most important places to start is this idea of boundaries,” she said. “The things I have shared about myself are very clear… I was born in Boston. I spent time in Boston and in Spain. My family now lives in Spain. I moved to New York when I was 19 years old and I have lived here ever since.”