How Alec Baldwin Feels About That Infamous Voicemail To His Daughter

In promotional interviews for Alec Baldwin's upcoming memoir, Nevertheless, the Saturday Night Live guest star is addressing his battle with drugs and alcohol as well as other regrets. The 59-year-old movie star put substance abuse behind him in his twenties, but only a decade ago Baldwin found himself at the center of another ordeal that follows him to this day. In 2007, an aggressive voicemail from Baldwin to his daughter, Ireland Baldwin, who was only 11 at the time, leaked to the media during the sixth year of Baldwin's lengthy custody battle with his ex-wife, Kim Basinger. Now Baldwin is opening up about the "permanent" harm that the voicemail and the media's use of it caused to his relationship with his daughter. Here is what the actor recently said:

Alec Baldwin sat down with George Stephanopoulos, co-anchor of Good Morning America, to talk about confronting the trials and tribulations of his past. Of course, Baldwin's regrets include the infamous voicemail from 2007, in which he called Ireland Baldwin a "rude little pig" and threatened to "straighten [her] ass out" when she missed a scheduled phone call with him. On the tape, Baldwin also said his daughter didn't "have the brains or the decency of a human being" and had "humiliated" him.

In past interviews, Alec Baldwin admitted that he fell into a hole of self-destruction in the aftermath of the voicemail leak. He called Harvey Levin, the producer of TMZ, which leaked the voicemail, "a human tumor, a graceless character who lives in that weird netherworld." He denounced Matt Lauer for interviewing Levin about the voicemail before calling him. Baldwin tried to quit 30 Rock. He fired his agent. He even contemplated suicide.

Thankfully, Baldwin reached out to mental health professionals, who helped him address personal issues and regain confidence. Now he is in a much better headspace. He married yoga instructor Hilaria Thomas in 2012, and they added three children--Carmen, Rafael, and Leonardo--to the family.

The 30 Rock star says the voicemail and the media's subsequent use of it seem to have caused a permanent rift between himself and Ireland Baldwin. However, he explained that his relationship with his daughter has been on the mend ever since, which matches the image we see today. The father and daughter duo walk the red carpet together before award shows. Ireland Baldwin includes her famous dad in pictures she uploads to her popular Instagram account, where she even poked fun at the incident once.

Regrets make us human. Hopefully, the publication of Alec Baldwin's memoir will provide him with a sense of closure on these issues, which apparently still haunt him. We are rooting for the well-being of Baldwin and his family.