Hilaria Baldwin is twirling into the fray, unafraid to face her critics head-on. Following her elimination from Dancing With the Stars last week, the 41-year-old opened up about why she believes she and her partner, Gleb Savchenko, were shown the door in season 34 of the beloved dance competition. “I was bullied off the show,” Hilaria confessed during an Instagram Live session on October 12, alluding to the relentless online criticism she faced throughout her four-week tenure on DWTS. “I definitely was. There’s no doubt about it.”
Indeed, the star of The Baldwins—who shares seven children, Carmen, 11, Rafael, 10, Leonardo, 8, Romeo, 7, Eduardo, 4, María Lucía, 4, and Ilaria, 2, with husband Alec Baldwin—has been candid about the barrage of negative remarks she encountered online during her time on the ABC series. “There’s a major issue online right now. It’s a serious problem,” she lamented to season 33 champion Joey Graziadei on the show’s official podcast shortly after her October 9 elimination. “We’re not seeing each other face-to-face. We’re turning each other into enemies. And I’m specifically talking about women. Women being cruel to other women. We need to put an end to this. We’ll never make progress otherwise.”
Hilaria also took advantage of World Mental Health Day to speak out against the “highly coordinated, strategic bullying” she endured while on Dancing With the Stars. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the elephant in the room,” she shared in an Instagram video on October 11, “which is the bullying I’ve faced over the past few weeks.” “One of the most frequent comments people make when they actually meet me in person is how shocked they are by the negativity directed at me,” Hilaria continued, “because, in reality, I’m nothing like the negative things some people claim. And that truly breaks my heart.”
The former yoga instructor also denounced the “campaigns of hate” that she sees as a pervasive problem for those in the public eye. “They destroy lives and wreak havoc on mental health. It’s tragic how widespread this behavior is, and countless individuals suffer daily,” Hilaria explained. “Some of the people who have harassed me for years, misrepresented me, and outright lied about me—I know they’ll only be satisfied when I’m no longer around. It seems like nothing I say or do will ever be good enough in their eyes.”
Despite the negativity, Hilaria expressed deep gratitude to her supporters who played a role in her getting cast on the show. “I’m incredibly thankful for this experience on Dancing with the Stars,” she shared. “I never thought I’d dance again, and I have all of you to thank for reaching out to the show and making this incredible journey possible.”
Hilaria added, “I feel so blessed to have shared this with my family. I loved everyone I met there, and I’m genuinely excited to cheer on my fellow cast members.”
