Ireland Baldwin shared a rare Instagram post in which she opened up about her relationship with her stepmother, newly-announced Dancing With the Stars contestant Hilaria Baldwin.
And while Hilaria often faces controversy over everything from her questionable accent to interactions with husband Alec Baldwin on the couple’s TLC reality series The Baldwins, the 29-year-old actress and model had nothing but effusive praise for her stepmother.
In the post, Ireland shared a photo of herself with a dachshund, posing alongside her stepmom who was holding one of the couple’s seven children together.
“I wanted to take a second to talk about my stepmom Hilaria Baldwin,” the Grudge Match star wrote. “I think if people actually knew her the way I do, they would be quite surprised.”
Ireland admitted that her post comes out of “left field” since she’s normally private when it comes to her family. However, she wanted to make one thing clear. “I expect misinformed comments and plenty of comments about me only playing nice so I can secure my inheritance,” she explained, quipping, “C’mon, people. I see the comments. I’m not getting an inheritance. I have seven siblings.”
She noted that she had been having these thoughts about her stepmother since she last visited her on the east coast. Ireland has lived in Portland, OR since leaving Los Angeles in 2020, while Alec and Hilaria are based out of New York. Ireland shared that the pair bonded because “Hilaria has had a far more complex and chaotic upbringing than she let’s on.”
“She didn’t always feel safe and seen. Sometimes, she is too loyal to a fault. She is eccentric and totally bats–t crazy (in a fun way) but she saved my dad’s life,” Ireland continued. “She turned his health around and has shown him the forgiveness and kindness that he needed. She also recognizes and nourishes the parts of my father that are the most compassionate and wonderful. She’s taught him that he doesn’t need to suffer inside of his own head and stay stuck in his own past. That it’s never too late to admit you need help and it’s never too late to learn to be kind to yourself.”
Ireland then pointed out that Hilaria is the reason she’s able to have a close relationship with her father, which has not always been the case. She also said that the couple have given her the “big family” she always wanted, since her father and mother Kim Basinger separated when she was just a child.
“She has always respected me, accepted my flaws, embraced me, and has always shown me kindness,” Ireland gushed. “I met her as a teenager and I needed her as an example. I still very much look up to her now.”
“I am so proud of her for doing Dancing With the Stars and I CANNOT wait to cheer her ass on. She deserves this!” she added. “And it’s not my place to share the ins and outs, but this woman is a gem and deserves all the love.”
Hilaria was recently named as a Season 34 contestant of the long-running ABC dance competition reality series, among other celebrities including Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, actor Corey Feldman, Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, comedian Andy Richter, and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck.
The new season will premiere on ABC and Disney+ on Sept. 16.
