Alec Baldwin is owning his past. In a podcast interview with the hosts of Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson, the former 30 Rock star opened up about his past drug use at the height of his acting career. “I had a white-hot problem every day for two years. I think I snorted a line of cocaine from here to Saturn,” the actor said. He went on to detail its prevalence saying, “I mean, cocaine was like coffee back then. Everybody was doing it all day long.”
Drugs weren’t Alec Baldwin’s only vice. In the interview, the Oscar nominee got real about his alcohol addiction, too. “I discuss it every now and then when it makes sense. I’m 39 years sober. I got sober Feb. 23, 1985,” Baldwin said. He added that while he doesn’t long for drugs anymore, he does wish he could have a drink.
Alec Baldwin’s Current Legal Issues
The actor has been embroiled in a highly publicized legal battle for the past few years. In October 2021, while on the set of the film Rust, a gun that he was holding went off, fatally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after the incident.
Alec Baldwin was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, as well, but those charges were dropped three months later. However, a grand jury decided to file charges again, and therefore the actor still faces prosecution. If found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, he could spend up to 18 months in prison. The trial is scheduled for July 10 in New Mexico.
Though production on Rust paused after the incident, it resumed in April of 2023. Despite the events, the film is still set to be distributed, with a likely release date sometime in 2024.
