Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Alec Baldwin is already known for his volatile personality and his fragile relationship with the press, but things really came to a head last week when the 55-year-old 30 Rock star allegedly called one photographer a "c*******ing f*g." (Baldwin can be heard saying "c*******ing" in video of the incident, though he claims he said "fathead" and not f*g.)
GLAAD, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and others made public statements against Baldwin's remarks and "pattern of anti-gay slurs." MSNBC suspended Baldwin's Up Late talk show for two weeks.
But at least Baldwin has support from his daughter, 18-year-old model Ireland Baldwin, the same child he famously called a "thoughtless little pig" in a 2007 voicemail. The younger Baldwin defended her father in a flurry of tweets on Saturday.
It takes a lot of strength for someone to release their anger," she wrote. "It takes a lot of strength and SUPPORT for someone to grow and become a better person. We all say things we don't mean. We all say things we can't take back."
"For someone who has battled with anger management issues, my dad has grown tremendously. My dad is far from a homophobe or a racist," she added.
Ireland said her father acted as anyone would who is constantly hounded by people -- a French actress was recently sentenced to prison for stalking the actor.
"Paparazzi can bring out many confined feelings of anger and spite out of anyone," Ireland said. "Boundaries have to be made. Paparazzi have jobs to do, but some of them jeopardize people's lives and cross a line."
Alec apologized in a statement to MSNBC's website, saying that he was "deeply sorry" for his choice of words.
"What I said and did this week, as I was trying to protect my family, was offensive and unacceptable. Behavior like this undermines hard-fought rights that I vigorously support," he said.
