There Are Good Reasons To Love Alec Baldwin, We Promise

There’s a lot of Alec Baldwin bashing going round. We’re not claiming that he’s Mr. Lovable, but we do think it’s time to give the guy a break, particularly now that he's announced his plans to retire from public life.  He does have some outrageously redeeming features, and while he may not win the Nobel Peace Prize, or become an ambassador for the UN, anytime soon, he’s not simply the ‘bad guy’ that the press would have us all believe that he is.

There are plenty of reasons to love Alex Baldwin

For starters, did you know Alec is a huge supporter of PETA as well as a dedicated animal rights activist? He’s also a manatee fanatic (who isn’t?) and has supported the Save the Manatees club, recording public service announcements for the organization. His dedication to the manatee cause won him a guest role on The Simpsons episode ‘Bonfire of the Manatees’. Along with all his good work protecting the manatees, Alec is also a vegetarian, which means he practices what he preaches - this makes Alec Baldwin a rare gem in this world.

In recent years he may have become more famous for his often insulting slurs, but let’s not forget that Baldwin No. 1 is a critically acclaimed actor. For his role as Jack Donaghy in NBC show 30 Rock he has won two Emmys, three Golden Globes and seven SAG Awards. He’s also been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 2003 movie The Cooler. Not just a (once very) pretty face!

Beetlejuice. He was in Beetlejuice.

Alex has hosted Saturday Night Live a record 16 times, a testament to his comedic credentials. Since the 3rd season of the show he has also been credited as a producer.  Who doesn't love SNL and everyone associated with it?

OK, OK, he may have said some pretty shocking things in that voicemail he left for his daughter, Ireland Baldwin. However, he almost immediately apologised for calling her a ‘rude thoughtless pig‘ and his relationship with her has since improved. Ireland even came to her famous dad’s defense recently, tweeting a request for people to lay off and claiming "My dad is far from a homophobe or a racist" and that "For someone who has battled with anger management issues, my dad has grown tremendously". His repaired relationship with his daughter is pretty heartwarming for those of us who can appreciate (from afar) how far the pair have come.

Ireland Baldwin has come to her father's defense

Finally, and most importantly, he’s a bit of a silver fox. Sure, he’s not quite the dish he once was, but ultimately he’s still Alec Baldwin of Baldwin brothers fame. If we can’t quite impress on you the magnitude of this, instead hear the immortal words of Cher out of Clueless, who said, when referring to her handsome step-brother "OK, OK, so he’s kind of a Baldwin", and she was definitely a girl who knew what she was talking about.