Hilaria Baldwin Apologizes for Not Being More Clear About Her Heritage

Hilaria Baldwin is clearing things up. The 36-year-old yoga instructor and Alec Baldwin's wife took a moment to apologize for not being more clear about her heritage, after being accused of exaggerating her connection to Spain.  

"I’ve spent the last month listening, reflecting, and asking myself how I can learn and grow. My parents raised my brother and me with two cultures, American and Spanish, and I feel a true sense of belonging to both," she wrote alongside a family pic. "The way I’ve spoken about myself and my deep connection to two cultures could have been better explained - I should have been more clear and I'm sorry."

"I'm proud of the way I was raised, and we’re raising our children to share the same love and respect for both," she continued. "Being vulnerable and pushing ourselves to learn and grow is what we've built our community on, and I hope to get back to the supportive and kind environment we’ve built together."

The controversy began in December after one Twitter user wrote about her "decade long grift where she impersonates a Spanish person." An Instagram user took it from there, sharing posts that called into question Hilaria's ethnic and cultural background, as well as her accent. 

Hilaria spoke out shortly before the new year, saying in an Instagram post, "I've tried in the past to be clear, but sometimes people don't report and write what you say. I'm born in Boston, I then spent some of my childhood in Boston, some of my childhood in Spain… everybody is over there in Spain now and I'm over here. So there was a lot of back and forth my entire life."

While Hilaria was not born in Spain, her family does live there now. Her brother, Jeremy, lives in Mallorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean, the same place her parents, David L. Thomas Jr. and Dr. Kathryn Hayward, moved in 2011. Additionally, her given name at birth was not Hilaria, but Hillary Hayward-Thomas.

In an interview with The New York Times, Hilaria touched on her connection to Spain and how its culture is something she's brought into her children's lives. She even sends her kids to a bilingual school and they speak Spanish at home. The Baldwins are parents to five kids, Carmen, 7, Rafael, 5, Leonardo, 4, Romeo, 2, and Eduardo, almost 5 months.

Alec, meanwhile, has stood by his wife's side amid the controversy. A source previously told ET that the actor "unconditionally supports and loves Hilaria in whatever she does and this situation has been no exception."

"Alec has always known that Hilaria is from Boston," the source said. "They are focused on taking care of their small five children and being there for each other as a family."

Watch the video below for more.

RELATED CONTENT:

Salma Hayek Reacts to Hilaria Baldwin's 'Crazy' Heritage Scandal

Hilaria Baldwin Explains Cucumber Moment and Her Connection to Spain

Hilaria Baldwin Address Questions About Her Heritage and Accent

Related Gallery

Must-See Celeb Sightings: February 2021