Alec Baldwin puts wife, kids to work as former TV dad warns of reality show curse
Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria began filming their new family reality television show nearly two weeks after the "Rust" actor's involuntary manslaughter trial was dismissed.
The 66-year-old actor was spotted roaming around the Big Apple with his wife of 12 years and their seven young children as cameras rolled on their new unscripted series on the TLC network.
Despite having decades of success on stage and screen, Baldwin's decision to allow his family into the spotlight raised questions of concern for the "30 Rock" star.
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The Baldwin clan looked right at home playing in a park in the Hamptons as cameras rolled on their new series. Alec sported a black Adidas windbreaker and shorts for the family outing with Hilaria, who paired a white crop top with blue floral slacks.
The couple has three daughters, Carmen, Maria and Ilaria, in addition to four sons, Rafael, Leonardo, Romeo and Eduardo. Baldwin also has daughter Ireland with ex-wife Kim Basinger. Alec became a first-time grandfather last year when Ireland gave birth to a baby girl.
Former reality TV father Jon Gosselin exclusively told Fox News Digital that he "doesn't think it's a good idea" for Baldwin to risk his fame, fortune or family all in the name of ratings.
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"My advice to Alec is to run the other way," Gosselin told Fox News Digital. "Enjoy your career and your family. And enjoy your life with your kids. We're all not getting any younger."
Gosselin, 47, found fame nearly 15 years ago as one of the stars of TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8," which focused on his uniquely large family, complete with one set of sextuplets and another set of twins.
WATCH: JON GOSSELIN SAYS ALEC BALDWIN’S DECISION TO STAR ON REALITY TV SHOW ISN’T A ‘GOOD IDEA’
"Jon & Kate Plus 8″ aired on TLC from 2007 until 2009, when the former couple divorced. One year later, the show was rebranded into "Kate Plus 8," which ran until 2017.
"I was always worried about jumping the shark, which meant, 'OK, you're filming this reality show, and then you do something different outside in the public, and now there's conflict,'" Gosselin said.
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"Now you're going to bring drama because photographers are going to show up because they're going to try to catch you in that act. Why would you invite drama into your household when all you've been trying to do is live, you know, a private life, and then you're a paid actor."
He added, "I don't think it's a good idea to put your family on television, especially your children. You're a successful actor. You're already scrutinized for certain things, and now you're going to put seven children into the public eye. So pretty much you've already created this, this massive amount of wealth to protect your family, and now you want to make them public as well? It makes no sense.:
Celebrity brand expert Doug Eldridge said the likelihood of the Baldwins finding success with reality television is "doubtful."
"Some of the worst shipwrecks in history were caused either by turbulent seas (the Great Lakes Storm of 1913) or by faulty ships that were pushed out of harbor in the first place (the Titanic)," Eldridge said.
"Unfortunately, reality television often creates the 'perfect storm' by combining both root causes, and the damage usually borders on destruction for the families involved. The likelihood of Baldwin finding 'fair winds and following seas' in today's media climate is relatively small."
Gosselin noted that Baldwin isn't "reinventing the wheel" when it comes to reality television, so there's no reason to begin now: "You're just going to incur costs and stress, and why don't you just live your life and be wealthy and go get a boat or something like that, document stuff on Instagram?"
While specifics aren't clear surrounding the show, "The Baldwins" is tentatively scheduled to premiere in 2025. It also remains to be seen if viewers will tune in to watch the affluent brood from Manhattan.
Eldridge had concerns about the familial component in the Baldwin series and noted how children are "always the most vulnerable point in any family."
WATCH: JON GOSSELIN GIVES ALEC BALDWIN ADVICE ON PURSUING REALITY TELEVISION
"They are the least equipped to deal with celebrity, criticism or the proverbial trappings of Hollywood," Eldridge noted. "Exposing your children to reality television is a ‘measure twice, cut once’ decision. You're exposing them to the world while mitigating your ability to protect them as a parent.
"If things go sideways, as they often do in reality television, there's no way to undo the damage that has been caused. As a parent, that falls squarely on you. I would advise any client against exposing their minor child to that environment."
Familial reality television programming has seen its fair share of problems.
Another famous family that grew up in front of TLC viewers was the Duggars, the Arkansas brood from "19 Kids and Counting." The show focused on Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children, who each had a name beginning with the letter "J."
The family quickly became a favorite among audiences for their focus on faith, homeschooling education and raising more than a dozen children under one roof. The show ran for seven seasons before it was canceled in 2015.
All was not as it seemed, though, as TLC suspended the series when Josh, the oldest Duggar child, publicly apologized for having "acted inexcusably" amid reports he molested five girls, including his sisters.
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On April 29, 2021, Josh was arrested and charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. Eight months later, he was found guilty on all charges and was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
"Sister Wives" was another hit for the network, which focused on the Brown family and their journey through plural marriage. The show first aired in 2010 with the Browns initially living in Utah, which, much like the United States, has strict laws prohibiting bigamy in its Mormon-heavy state. But they then fled to Nevada to begin a new life.
Kody had four wives: Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn, and a total of 18 children. The show has been on for 18 seasons and saw Christine and Kody separate two years ago. She has since re-married. Janelle and Kody separated in December 2022.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abandoned polygamy in 1890 and strictly prohibits it today. The Browns consider themselves to be fundamentalist Mormons.
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"America still has a modest appetite for reality television, but it's short-lived, picky and on a calorie-restricted diet compared to years past," Eldridge said.
"If [Prince] Harry and Meghan [Markle] can't garner (much less, keep) a steady viewing audience, then the chances Baldwin can succeed in the shadow of such thematic [juggernauts] like the Kardashians or ‘Real Housewives,’ seem slim to none. The juice might be worth the squeeze, but it's likely to fill a shot glass, more than the pint glass of 20 years ago."