Hilaria Baldwin, wife of actor Alec Baldwin, asserts that her recent elimination from Dancing With the Stars was not merely due to low scores, but rather a targeted online campaign. She claims a group of “mean girls” on TikTok orchestrated an effort to boost other competitors while actively working to suppress her fanbase, leading to a “coordinated, very strategic bullying” that ultimately forced her off the show.
The glitz and glamour of Dancing With the Stars can be a cutthroat environment, but typically, eliminations are attributed to judges’ scores and audience votes. However, for wellness influencer and reality star Hilaria Baldwin, her recent departure from season 34 of the popular ABC competition series carries a more sinister explanation: online bullying.
Baldwin, who was the fourth celebrity eliminated alongside her professional partner Gleb Savchenko on October 7, has been vocal about her belief that a deliberate campaign by “mean girls” on TikTok led to her exit. Her candid statements have opened a wider conversation about the impact of social media on reality television competitions.
The Allegations: A Coordinated Online Campaign
Baldwin first publicly shared her accusations in an exclusive chat with Us Weekly, elaborating on her initial claims made during an Instagram Live on October 10, just three days after her elimination. She described her brief experience with TikTok as revealing a “lot of mean girls.”
Her core argument hinges on the unique voting mechanics of Dancing With the Stars. Viewers are allowed to vote up to 10 times for each couple. Baldwin alleges that instead of simply voting for their favorites, these online groups actively campaigned for “all the other couples except us,” a strategy designed to “drown out my fan base” by boosting other contestants.
“I did get bullied off the show. I did, that’s for sure,” Baldwin stated emphatically on Instagram Live. She later reiterated this in an Instagram video, calling it “very coordinated, very strategic bullying.” She further shared her heartbreak over the persistent negativity she receives, noting that people who meet her in person are often surprised by the disparity between her public image and reality.
The DWTS Journey and Elimination
During Week 4 of Dancing With the Stars, designated as Disney Night, Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko performed a quickstep to the “Cantina Band” theme from Star Wars. Their performance earned them a respectable 23 out of 30 points, placing them in the middle of the pack for the night’s scores. However, the combination of these scores with viewer votes led to their unexpected elimination, as they received the least amount of combined support.
The controversy around her exit highlights the unpredictable nature of reality competition voting, where public sentiment, often amplified by social media, can outweigh performance quality. Representatives for Dancing With the Stars did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment regarding Baldwin’s claims.
Despite her disappointment, Baldwin expressed grace, telling Us Weekly, “I have such wonderful things to say. It was sad that it was like that. There’s more good people than bad people. And I just want one day that people can just see me and stop, like, the crazy stuff.”
Support from a Fellow Competitor
The claims resonated with at least one fellow season 34 competitor. Comedian and actor Andy Richter took to Instagram to express his dismay, stating that it “sucks” to see Baldwin sent home. Richter’s comments underlined the human element of online criticism:
“Everybody there works just as hard as everybody else and they all deserve to be there. I just don’t know why people have to be so mean. But these are people. With families and kids. And these awful things that get said, they’re heard by real people and they hurt real people.”
Richter’s sentiment underscores the broader concern about online harassment and its impact on individuals, regardless of their public profile. His own journey on the show was marked by fan support keeping him in the competition despite consistently low scores, a stark contrast to Baldwin’s experience where, despite middle-range scores, she faced a perceived voter suppression campaign.
Hilaria Baldwin’s History with Online Scrutiny
This is not Hilaria Baldwin’s first encounter with intense internet scrutiny. She has been a frequent target of online criticism and debate, particularly concerning her public persona. Past controversies include:
- Authenticity of Spanish Accent: Baldwin has faced significant backlash and accusations of fabricating her Spanish heritage and accent in 2020. She has clarified that she was raised bilingual and that her nuclear family now lives in Spain, aiming to instill pride in her children for speaking multiple languages.
- Alec Baldwin’s Rust Tragedy Involvement: More recently, she has navigated public attention and criticism related to her husband Alec Baldwin’s involvement in the tragic Rust film set shooting, which resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin has often spoken out about the difficulties of dealing with persistent online negativity. On an episode of her family’s TLC reality series, The Baldwins, she remarked, “You never get used to people being mean. But you take a deep breath, and I think you learn to distance yourself from it, and so, you know, you just try turning down the volume in my head a bit… and I’m not gonna take it personally.”
Her decision to speak out against the alleged bullying on Dancing With the Stars, especially in the context of World Mental Health Day, reflects a broader personal commitment to address online toxicity. She expressed a desire to leverage her platform to advocate for others who might experience similar harassment without a strong support system.
The Broader Implications for Reality TV
The incident raises important questions about the integrity of audience voting in reality television and the increasing influence of social media campaigns, both positive and negative. While some fans might view such tactics as part of the game, Baldwin’s experience suggests a more targeted and potentially harmful form of digital manipulation.
As reality shows continue to rely on audience engagement for their outcomes, the mechanisms for safeguarding contestants from coordinated online attacks may become an area of greater focus for producers and networks. For now, Hilaria Baldwin’s story serves as a stark reminder of the often-unseen battles celebrities face in the digital age.
Dancing With the Stars continues to air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available to stream the next day on Hulu. The conversation around Hilaria Baldwin’s claims, however, is likely to endure, shedding light on the complexities of celebrity, public perception, and online communities.
For more details on Hilaria Baldwin’s initial statements, you can refer to the report by Us Weekly. Further insights and reports, including Andy Richter’s support, were also covered by Entertainment Weekly.
