Alec Baldwin says he's quitting Twitter
Alec Baldwin says he is finished with Twitter for good.
The "30 Rock" actor deleted his account last week after unleashing an expletive-filled rant directed at a Daily Mail reporter, and has now vowed not to go back to the social media site.
When asked by Vanity Fair if he'll ever tweet again, Baldwin responded, "Never."
"I went to Jimmy Gandolfini's funeral, and when I was there I realized Jimmy Gandolfini didn't have Twitter. Jimmy Gandolfini was so beloved as a person, and he was so admired as an actor, and he didn't give a [expletive] about social media," he said.
"I really learned a lesson at the funeral," Baldwin added. "I said to myself, 'This is all a waste of time.' Meaning it's fun sometimes, but less and less, and less. It's just another chink in your armor for people to come and kill you. I stopped and said to myself, I'm going to try where I just don't do this anymore."
Last week's Twitter rant came after the Daily Mail published a report accusing Baldwin's wife, Hilaria, of tweeting during Gandolfini's funeral service in New York.
"The pregnant yoga instructor's social media feed was full of upbeat posts while the 'Sopranos' star's friends, family and co-stars were gripped with grief at a New York Catholic church. Messages included a request for ideas about wedding anniversary presents and promotional notes about her upcoming appearance on the 'Rachael Ray' show," reporter George Stark wrote.
Baldwin responded by calling Stark a "lying little bitch" and "toxic little queen." He later apologized for the language used in his remarks, telling GLAAD that the "ill-advised attack" on Stark "had nothing to do with issues of anyone's sexual orientation."
Stark's Daily Mail story has since been taken down. Some have speculated that there may have been confusion over time zones, with Hilaria sending tweets on Eastern Time and Stark viewing them in Pacific Time.
Baldwin, meanwhile, has dreams of stepping away from the public eye.
He told Vanity Fair, "I'm having a baby. And everyone has seen how certain things have played out with my daughter [Ireland], which as been very painful -- it's been really unpleasant. That has consequences, and I do not want that to happen with my next child. I have one dream in my life and that is that this daughter I'm having -- she comes to me about 7 or 8 years from now, she has a friend, and she's at her house and she says, 'Daddy, Susie's mom says you used to be on TV. Daddy, is that true?' She has no knowledge of me as a public person. That would be heaven for me."
When asked if that meant he wanted to quit acting, he responded, "I'd love to if I could, yeah. That would be the greatest thing in the world."
Baldwin will soon be back on the big screen in the Woody Allen film "Blue Jasmine," arriving in theaters July 26.