Alec Baldwin punched a photographer . Wait, no he didn’t . Well, he sort-of did. Then he ran over another reporter’s foot with his bike. Now he thinks the whole thing is funny.
Let’s back up.
The NYPD is investigating a claim by Daily News photographer Marcus Santos that he was assaulted by 30 Rock actor Alec Baldwin as he left a government building with fiancee Hilaria Thomas , having just gotten a marriage license for their wedding later in the month. There are pictures, something definitely went down, but whether or not Alec Baldwin attacked Santos or whether he felt he was defending himself, well… that is the debate as of now.
Though Baldwin has been avoiding questions about it, even running over a reporter’s foot with his bicycle to dodge a question, he’s not apparently treating it all like a big joke now.
On Wednesday, he showed up on Letterman , asserting his innocence while also cracking-wise about the whole thing. Showed a picture of the attack, Baldwin pointed to his mouth, saying, “I think you can see, I’m forming the letter ‘F’ with my mouth. And what I’m saying is… I said to him as I walked up to him ‘What F-stop are you on with that camera?’” Dave replied, “All silliness aside, you can see that you are lunging for the camera. You’ve got both hands going after the camera. You’re not punching this guy.” Baldwin joked back, “Where did you go to law school? You’re fantastic.”
Baldwin continued to deny that he threw any punches, but admits things would have turned violent if he and Santos wound up arrested together that afternoon. “You don’t want to know what would happen in the jail cell if we were together in the jail cell,” Baldwin threatened.
Baldwin is definitely taking no prisoners when it comes to the media. Of the toe-rolling incident, Baldwin later tweeted, “I am told I ran over someone’s foot on my bike today,” adding, “I think it was that person who placed their foot under the wheel of my bike.” Then, Thursday, he faced another media barrage when he stepped out of his East Village apartment with daughter, Ireland. The Daily News then asked him if he would consider anger management. He laughed. Like a boss. Then he was asked if he thought punching photographers is his idea of a joke. “Yes, I do,” he coldly retorted. As for Marcus Santos, the allegedly assaulted, said “I have nothing to say to him,” adding that he wishes the story wasn’t about him. “I just feel so embarrassed,” he said, also clarifying that yes, “He threw a punch,” and that Baldwin’s attack was unprovoked. Provoked or no, sticking up for Baldwin is director Woody Allen, who said “I know a lot of paparazzi, and they’re very nice guys and they can be fun,” continuing, “But when they step over the line and they’re mobbing your children or flashing bulbs in your face relentlessly, you know, then it becomes not a civil intercourse between the celebrity and the guys that earn their living that way.”
So do you agree with Baldwin? Was his assault of Daily Mail’s Marcus Santos funny?