Hilaria Baldwin is addressing the controversy surrounding her Spanish accent.
In the premiere of the new TLC reality show The Baldwins, set to air on Feb. 23, Hilaria, 41, opened up about the 2020 backlash over her accent after some questioned the authenticity of her Spanish roots.
Years later, she said nothing can stop her from embracing her identity.
“I love English, I love Spanish, and when I mix the two, it doesn’t make me inauthentic. When I mix them, that makes me normal,” she explained in a confessional. “I’d be lying if I said [the controversy] didn’t make me sad or hurt, and didn’t send me to dark places.”
“But it was my family, my friends, my community who speak multiple languages, who have belonged in multiple places, and understand that we are a mix of all these different things. That affects how we sound, how we articulate, the words we choose, and our mannerisms,” she continued.
“That’s normal,” she said. “That’s called being human.”
When it comes to the children she shares with husband Alec Baldwin — Ilaria Catalina Irena, 2, María Lucía Victoria, 3, Eduardo “Edu” Pao Lucas, 4, Romeo Alejandro David, 6, Leonardo Ángel Charles, 8, Rafael Thomas, 9, and Carmen Gabriela, 11 — Hilaria said no amount of public criticism will stop her from incorporating her Spanish culture into their lives.
“I’m raising my kids to be bilingual, I was raised bilingual,” she shared. “My entire nuclear family lives in Spain now. I want to teach my kids pride in speaking more than one language. I think growing up bilingual is incredibly special.”
The discussion about her heritage began in December 2020 when social media users questioned whether Hilaria was truly of Spanish descent, pointing out that she was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and her birth name is Hilary.
“I’ve seen chatter online questioning my identity and culture. This is something I take very seriously, and for those asking — I’ll reiterate my story, as I’ve done many times before,” she wrote at the time, along with a now-deleted, seven-minute video.
“I was born in Boston and spent time with my family between Massachusetts and Spain. My parents and sibling live in Spain, and I chose to live here, in the U.S.”
Public confusion grew when Hilaria appeared on Today in 2020 and went viral for seemingly forgetting the English word for “cucumber.”
In February 2021, the fitness instructor addressed the issue again on social media to provide more clarity.
“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 photo with Alec and their children.
“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.”
She continued: “I’m proud of the way I was raised, and we’re raising our children to share the same love and respect for both cultures. 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 created together.”

Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
When she’s not writing, Olekanma enjoys immersing herself in a good book, exploring new cuisines, and discovering new cultures.