Server Claims Alec Baldwin Called Her a "Peasant" During Star-Studded Gala
She says the actor didn't like it when she asked him to move.
Staffing a fancy celebrity-filled event is one way to cross paths with a famous face… or get into a heated exchange with one. On May 19, Page Six reported that Alec Baldwin was seen getting into some sort of disagreement with a server at the 2023 PEN America Spring Literary Gala the night before. A source claimed that the 30 Rock actor berated the employee and that she looked "shocked."
Now, the unnamed server has spoken out herself, explaining what happened to make Baldwin so angry and claiming that the 65-year-old actor called her a "peasant." Read on to find out more.
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An insider said they witnessed the exchange.
On Friday, May 19, Page Six reported that a "spy" told the publication that they witnessed Baldwin and the server, who "was probably in her late 20s or early 30s," have an exchange that left the her "looking shocked."
The insider said that it appeared that the woman was stuck behind Baldwin, who was talking to other attendees, and that she begin serving dinner with him still standing in the way. "I guess he didn't like that she did that with him standing there," the insider said.
The source claimed the It's Complicated star then began "scolding" the server. Afterwards, she was overheard telling someone else, "I don't know why he yelled at me."
The insider added, "I'm guessing he felt it was rude of her to start putting plates down while he was standing there." They said that the incident was "quick" and went mostly unnoticed by other guests.
The server told her side of the story.
After the initial report came out, the anonymous gala server came forward with her version of events. The woman told Page Six that Baldwin was blocking the way when dinner service was beginning. So, she let him know what was happening.
"I'm a sweep leader, which means I basically tell the waiters when to put down the plates and we have to do it in a certain order," she told Page Six. "I was going to feed the head of the table but that's who he was talking to, so I go up to him and I say, 'I'm sorry sir, but we're going to have servers walking through the tables here in a minute.'"
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She claims Baldwin became angry.
The server said that, in response to being asked to move out of the way of the staff, Baldwin asked in a patronizing way, "So when is it a good time to talk to my friends?" She said he became "very agitated" and asked, "Do I have to explain it to you?"
She added that she didn't "expect that kind of reaction" and tried to diffuse the situation by saying that she didn't need him to explain anything. He responded, "Well, then step aside," according to her.
The server said that she had a much better experience with other attendees, mentioning Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost, who hosted the event, in particular.
"I said, 'Excuse me,' to Colin Jost and he was nothing but sweet about it," she said. "He said, 'Oh, I'm sorry' and stepped aside. So I know it's not a celebrity thing. Maybe it's people's upbringings? Who knows what makes bitter people bitter."
Co-workers said they overheard Baldwin call her a "peasant."
The server said that other servers told her later that Baldwin had insulted her as she moved on.
"Afterwards, many of my co-workers came up to me and said, 'Do you know what he said while you were walking away?' I didn't catch it because I was focused on my work but apparently he was calling me a peasant," she claimed, adding that the actor was "clearly mad that I told him kindly, 'Excuse me.'"
Best Life has reached out to a representative for Baldwin for comment.
The actor has made similar headlines before.
This alleged incident with a server is not the first time Baldwin has made headlines for his interactions with others. As reported by CBS News, he's been involved in several incidents with paparazzi over the years, including using a gay slur towards a photographer in 2013. Baldwin subsequently apologized for using the word.
In 2018, the actor was arrested for allegedly punching a man during a dispute over a parking spot. Baldwin denied this, but conceded in court that he had shoved the man. Baldwin also sued the man alleging "false imprisonment and defamation."
Perhaps most famously, in 2007, a voicemail was leaked in which Baldwin yelled at his then-11-year-old daughter Ireland Baldwin and called her a "rude, thoughtless little pig." Both have since moved on from the incident, and even poked fun at it together on social media years later.
Baldwin has also been frequently in the news related to the fatal shooting on the set of his movie Rust in 2021. An actor and producer on the film, he was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter connected to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed when a gun Baldwin was holding shot her. (He claimed he didn't pull the trigger; the gun was also not supposed to have had live ammunition in it.) The charges against Baldwin were dropped in April 2023, as reported by ABC News.
