Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin had a volatile marriage that ended with an explosive divorce war and custody battle over their daughter, Ireland Baldwin, but they’ve made peace in the years since, and a source exclusively tells In Touch they’re now committed to being there for each other through good times and bad.
“It’s pretty wild to see how far Alec and Kim have come, for anyone that knows how ugly their divorce got and how ice cold they were for so many years after — it’s just amazing to see them now on such good terms,” the source says.
Ugly may be an understatement. Kim, 71, and Alec, 66, tied the knot in 1993 after meeting on the set of the 1990 movie, The Marrying Man. They divorced in 2002, though the proceedings were brutal as they battled first over finances and then over their daughter.
“I must say that because my relationship with my daughter Ireland was so negatively impacted by my divorce from her mother and having a very protracted custody battle that the media really were having a party about everything,” the 30 Rock alum explained on an episode of his new reality TV show, The Baldwins. “[It] went on for seven years, of which the financials were probably a year and a half and then everything else was custody.”
Alec went on to call the whole ordeal “just insanity” and described his regret over how it impacted Ireland, 29, adding it was “really, really tough” on his daughter.
“One of my most regrettable things about the whole thing was how it affected Ireland,” he lamented.
Though, over the years the former couple has worked out the trauma, which the source notes Alec now takes responsibility for.
“Alec worked very hard to earn Kim’s forgiveness. He really owned up to all his mistakes and admitted to her that pretty well everything that went wrong in their marriage was his fault,” the insider says.
“Obviously, the main thing tying them together is their daughter Ireland, but they also go so far back, she knows so much of his history, his family, they have a shorthand, it’s really helpful for Alec to have Kim to talk to when he’s going through it.”
In an interview with Variety published on February 27, the L.A. Confidential actress explained, “Alec and I have a great relationship. I have great respect for where he is today, and his family,” adding, “You know, we don’t spend Christmases and holidays or see each other very much. But we talk.”
The source confirms that for Alec, Kim is now “someone he can call in a crisis and nine times out of ten she can help him put things in perspective so he can calm down a little.”
“It’s a two-way street, when Kim needs something, she can call on Alec and she’s also gotten close to Hilaria Baldwin. They’re not spending holidays together or having lunch dates, but they are a family unit, albeit an unconventional one.”
