BuzzFeed and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change.

Hilaria Baldwin Doubled Down On Her Spanish Accent And Denied That It’s “Inauthentic” Despite Being Born In Boston

Ellen Durney
·3-min read

You know Hilaria Baldwin — if not for being a fitness guru and the wife of Alec Baldwin, then probably for all the speculation over her accent.

A man in a suit with a scarf and a woman in a strapless dress with a red shawl pose together on a red carpet
A man in a suit with a scarf and a woman in a strapless dress with a red shawl pose together on a red carpet

For context, Hilaria has long spoken with a Spanish accent and, before 2020, seemed to publicly indicate that she was born in Spain — meaning people were obviously happy to accept she was Spanish. However, that all changed a few years ago when social media users began to speculate that she had been impersonating “a Spanish person” for decades.

Person in a stylish long-sleeve top poses at an event
Person in a stylish long-sleeve top poses at an event

After a December 2020 clip from Today in which she was accused of “pretending” to forget the English word for “cucumber,” Hilaria addressed speculation that she was faking her Spanish accent and clarified that she was, in fact, born and raised in Boston — but that she “grew up spending time with [her] family between Massachusetts and Spain” and therefore has a deep appreciation for both cultures.

Two individuals at an event; the woman is wearing an elegant dress and smiling, while the man is in a suit, speaking to someone off-camera
Two individuals at an event; the woman is wearing an elegant dress and smiling, while the man is in a suit, speaking to someone off-camera

As for why she chooses to be known as Hilaria instead of her birth name, she said in a since-deleted Instagram video: “In this country, I would use the name Hilary. In Spain, I would use the name Hilaria [...] I identify more with Hilaria, because that's what my family calls me.”

ADVERTISEMENT

As you may remember, Hilaria’s explanation kind of left people with more questions than answers. So, a few months later, she returned with a second statement in which she admitted that she “should have been more clear” about being raised between “two cultures.”

Person in a shiny, sleek black dress with pearl earrings, posing at an event
Person in a shiny, sleek black dress with pearl earrings, posing at an event

“Being vulnerable and pushing ourselves to learn and grow is what we've built our community on,” her Instagram statement read. “And I hope to get back to the supportive and kind environment we’ve built together.”

In the years since, most people have come to accept Hilaria’s blend of cultures — although that still hasn’t stopped some people from questioning the authenticity of her Spanish identity. And now, Hilaria has addressed the whole thing once again in the premiere episode of her and Alec’s new TLC reality show, The Baldwins, which comes out this week.

Two individuals pose together at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights event. The woman wears an elegant dress with floral details; the man wears a suit and tie
Two individuals pose together at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights event. The woman wears an elegant dress with floral details; the man wears a suit and tie

Talking about her Spanish controversy in a confessional, Hilaria spoke about her accent and said that she was raised “bilingual,” with English presumably being her first language. “I love English, I also love Spanish,” she said. “And when I mix the two it doesn’t make me inauthentic, and when I mix the two, that makes me normal. I’d be lying if I said [the controversy] didn’t make me sad, and it didn’t hurt, and it didn’t put me in dark places.”

I don't know who this is, but they are wearing a black suit jacket with a white shirt and tie, posing in front of a neutral background
I don't know who this is, but they are wearing a black suit jacket with a white shirt and tie, posing in front of a neutral background

She continued: “It was my family, my friends, my community who speak multiple languages, who have belonged in multiple places and realize that we are a mix of all these different things and that’s going to have an impact on how we sound and an impact on how we articulate things and the words that we choose and our mannerisms. That's normal. That’s called being human.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Notably, Hilaria also said she’s incorporating Spanish culture into the lives of her and Alec’s seven young children and that she’s raising them bilingual, too. “My family — all my nuclear family — now lives over in Spain,” she said. “I want to teach my kids pride in speaking more than one language. I think just growing up and speaking two languages is extremely special.”

Person in a striped suit jacket with hoop earrings on a red carpet, smiling slightly
Person in a striped suit jacket with hoop earrings on a red carpet, smiling slightly

Well, there you have it. The Baldwins premieres Feb. 23 with new episodes airing weekly.

More on this

Latest stories