Is Hilaria Baldwin’s entire life a lie? Delve into her claims about her age

Alec Baldwin’s wife Hilaria Baldwin has touted herself as a proud Spanish woman for years. With her thick accent and stories from her childhood in Spain, there seemed to be no issue with her story. But a recent Instagram controversy featuring Hilaria Baldwin speaking with a traditional American accent has exposed her heritage as fake. 

Thanks to some internet sleuths, the truth about “Hilaria” came out. Hilaria Baldwin is really Hillary Hayward-Thomas, a white American woman from Boston, Massachusetts. Former classmates of hers confirmed that really, the only thing Hilaria Baldwin hasn’t lied about is her age. 

Simple girl from Boston

According to yearbook records, Hilaria Baldwin attended the Cambridge School of Weston in Weston, Massachusetts. Former classmates of Baldwin’s claimed she was really kind and had a passion for ballroom dancing. However, they also added Baldwin did not speak with a Spanish accent and went by Hillary. 

This report directly contradicts claims made by Hilaria Baldwin back in April. During an interview with Motherhood, Marriage & Miscarriages, Hilaria Baldwin claimed she moved from Spain to NYC at age nineteen to study at New York University. 

How true is her story?

When responding to critics on Instagram this past weekend, Hilaria Baldwin explained she spent her childhood in between Boston & Spain. “There’s been some questions about where I’m born, I’m born in Boston . . . I spent some of my childhood in Boston, some of my childhood in Spain, my family, my brother, my parents, my nephew, everybody is over there in Spain now, I’m here.”

Both of Hilaria Baldwin’s parents moved to Spain permanently in 2011, and the majority of her extended family does live there now. Hilaria Baldwin married Alec Baldwin in 2012 at a young age, so her choice not to move to Spain with the rest of her family makes sense. 

In the Instagram post, Baldwin also claims she grew up in a bilingual household and wants to raise her children in a similar environment. There’s evidence of Hilaria Baldwin in interviews speaking fluent Spanish, and the infamous Today show clip where she forgot the word cucumber for a moment. 

Hilaria or Hillary?

The most obvious controversy is Hilaria Baldwin’s real name. When she addressed the controversy of her heritage & age, Hilaria Baldwin also made it clear her name is 100% real. “When I was growing up, in this country I would use the name Hillary, and in Spain I would use Hilaria and my family, my parents, call me Hilaria.” 

When she began making her way into the entertainment industry, Hilaria knew she had to pick one name or another. Since Hilaria is what her family called her, she chose to adopt that as her actual name. However, she isn’t against people calling her Hillary.

“One of the things I love about what my parents called me, it means happy in both languages, we can all be really clear that it’s the same name, it’s just a few letters different, we shouldn’t be so upset about it. Whatever you guys want to call me, I will respond to both.”

Backlash from immigrants 

Hilaria faking her heritage, name, and age has left many immigrants hurt by her actions personally. On Twitter, those who had to change their foreign names to more traditional American names are calling out Hilaria for her actions. Writer Ale Russian wrote a first-person essay for People talking about her own experiences with having to change her name. 

“My parents named me Alejandrina, a beautiful name that came from my grandmother and one I love very much. Yet my name was quickly Americanized. I stopped using my real, legal name because it was hard for people to say. Even the easier Ale, pronounced like the beginning of Alejandro, was changed to ‘Allie’ by my first school teacher.”

Others commented on how many Americans shame those who speak with thick accents, yet Hilaria felt the need to fake a thick, foreign accent. No matter what angle they look at, immigrants are hurt Hilaria was faking aspects of her heritage they are constantly judged for. 

Where we go from here

Hilaria has made it clear she doesn’t plan on changing her name or the way she speaks anytime soon. Both her husband Alec Baldwin & her stepdaughter Ireland stood up for Hilaria on social media. 

While public opinion of Hilaria Baldwin has definitely diminished, whether this controversy will affect her career in any way is unknown. Her podcast Mom Brain is still being released this week as planned, and her yoga company Yoga Vida has yet to release a statement on the controversy.