Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin's Bitter Divorce and Custody Battle — Recap of the Family Drama

Movie stars Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger seemed to have the perfect marriage, but it all ended in a vicious custody battle over their daughter Ireland.

Yet another high-profile Hollywood romance crashed and burned in 2000 when actors Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin announced their separation after seven years of what seemed to be a perfect marriage.

They filed for divorce in 2002 and what followed was a vicious custody battle over their daughter Ireland that ended up lasting almost as long as their marriage and cost them millions of dollars in legal fees.

LOVE AND THE MOVIES

Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger met in 1990 on the set of the romantic comedy "The Marrying Man," and the actor was immediately smitten by the sultry blond beauty.

According to Basinger, Baldwin had kissed her and asked her if she wanted to have children with him. The actress quickly put him in his place and told him to keep his mind on the work, but Baldwin was determined to win her over.

In 1993, Basinger withdrew from the film "Boxing Helena" and was sued for $8.1 million.

MARRIAGE

Three years later, Basinger and Baldwin tied the knot in a romantic torchlight beach wedding attended by 100 of Hollywood's A-list personalities, including top model Christie Brinkley, actor Paul Newman, and singer Billy Joel.

Baldwin and Basinger became one of the most photographed and talked about celebrity couples in the world, but their life was far from perfect, even after they welcomed daughter Ireland in 1995.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

But all was not well in the Baldwin family. Basinger encountered financial difficulties and was close to penniless after investing heavily in a small town in Georgia before her marriage.

Then, in 1993 Basinger withdrew from the film "Boxing Helena" and was sued for $8.1 million and declared bankruptcy. She later settled for $3.8 million, which Baldwin helped her pay.

DIVORCE

The couple separated in 2000, and Basinger's father attributed the breakup to Baldwin's temper and allegedly uncontrollable anger, which he described as abusive. It was the beginning of a six-year ordeal. Baldwin said:

"From 2000 to 2006 (...) I can barely tell you what I did for those six years. It was a period that was so painful, I was staring off a cliff for six years."

CONTROVERSY

His father-in-law's accusations seemed to be justified when Basinger presented a voice message in court, which Baldwin had left on his then-11-year-old daughter's phone.

Baldwin ranted and berated Ireland, accusing her of humiliating him by not answering her phone and disparaging Basinger to their daughter with unpleasant language.

JOINT CUSTODY

After years of ugly accusations, the court finally decided to attribute joint custody to Basinger and Baldwin, who had, in the meantime, spent over $3 million in legal fees.

14 years later, Ireland Basinger Baldwin, who is now 25 and a successful model, is close to both her parents. Basinger, who is living with Mitch Stone, admitted that she and Baldwin have set the bitterness of their divorce aside.

IN LOVE AGAIN

As for Baldwin, in 2011, he met yoga instructor Hilaria Thomas and the two started dating. In April 2012, Baldwin proposed to Hilaria, and the couple married just two months later in St Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

In 2013 the couple announced the birth of their first child together, daughter Carmen, followed by sons Rafael in 2015, Leonardo in 2016, Romeo in 2018 -- and last but not least, Eduardo, who was born in September 2020.