A portrait of Hilaria Baldwin displayed prominently in the Amagansett home she shares with Alec Baldwin drew fresh criticism after the couple’s recent feature in The New York Times and an Instagram repost by the actor.
The work, a lifelike triptych by artist Brendan O’Connell, shows Hilaria bagging fruit in a grocery aisle, sunglasses on, in front of shelves stocked with boxes of Rice-A-Roni. In the Times profile, Hilaria said she was “extraordinarily embarrassed” by the piece but that it remained hung in the living room. Alec Baldwin later reposted images from the story to his Instagram account, prompting a wave of reactions online.
Comments on Alec Baldwin’s repost ranged from derision to mild support. Some social media users questioned why Hilaria would keep a painting she described as embarrassing, with several saying it suggested vanity or narcissism. One commenter called it “multi-faceted rage bait.” Others urged the couple simply to remove the painting if it caused discomfort. A smaller number praised the couple’s home and said they liked the artwork.
Some responses referenced past controversies involving Hilaria Baldwin, including a widely discussed episode in which she used an affected Spanish accent; others expressed no interest in details about the couple’s private life. The painting is said to have been inspired by a paparazzi photograph taken of Hilaria shopping in a West Village bodega near the Baldwins’ city residence.
The profile and the online reaction come as the couple continues to occupy the Amagansett house Alec Baldwin bought in 1996. Baldwin listed the property in 2022 for $29 million after paying about $1.75 million for it decades earlier, but the home did not sell and the couple decided to retain it.
The house’s sale effort followed the 2021 on-set shooting on the film Rust that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Baldwin has publicly disputed having pulled the trigger on a prop firearm he said was presented to him as safe. He was charged in January 2023 with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and pleaded not guilty; those charges were dropped in April 2023. He faced a separate involuntary manslaughter charge filed in January 2024, and that case was dismissed with prejudice in July 2024 after a judge found prosecutors had withheld evidence that could have been used by Baldwin’s defense. In July 2024, a separate lawsuit Baldwin brought against New Mexico prosecutors alleging malicious prosecution was dismissed after he failed to file certain documents.
After the failed sale and amid ongoing legal proceedings, the Baldwins have continued to live at and show their Amagansett property. The painting remains among the art and decor on view in public images of the home, and the recent profile and repost have brought renewed attention to how the couple presents their private spaces.