It is, according to some, better to burn out than fade away. Many have historically clung to that credo, believing that an early end is better than slowly spiraling into darkness. Take, for example, actor Alec Baldwin who deleted his Twitter account late last week following a tirade against a journalist that could only be described as flaming out in the greatest fashion imaginable.
Here’s some background for you to fully appreciate this rant: Baldwin and wife Hilaria both attended the funeral of actor James Gandolfini last week, during which – according to a gossip report that appeared in the British Daily Mail newspaper – Hilaria sent out a tweet promoting an upcoming appearance on the daytime Rachel Ray television show. She also asked her followers to suggest potential wedding anniversary gifts. Suffice to say, Alec did not take this suggestion kindly.
“Someone wrote that my wife was tweeting at a funeral,” he wrote on Twitter on last Thursday night, adding “Hey. That’s not true. But I’m gonna tweet at your funeral.”
So far so good, right? (If, by good, you mean “Sick burn, Jack Donaghy,” then of course.) However, that was just the beginning. “George Stark, you lying little bitch. I am gonna f— you up,” he continued, naming the journalist who had written the Daily Mail story. The tweets that followed got even more hostile. We’ve censored a few cuss bombs, so use your imagination.
“I want all of my followers and beyond to straighten out this f—ing little bitch, George Stark,” Baldwin continued, adding that he’d “put my foot up your f—ing ass, George Stark, but I’m sure you’d dig it too much,” before finishing with a straight up threat: “I’m gonna find you, George Stark, you toxic little queen, and I’m gonna f—…you…up.”
Not that that was the end of his Twitter account. Before he closed it, Baldwin added, “My wife and I attend a funeral to pay our respects to an old friend, and some toxic Brit writes this f—-ing trash… How much of this s— are people supposed to take? With these f—ng blatant lies EVERY DAY? My wife DID NOT use her phone, in any capacity, at our friends funeral.” His final tweet: “Now, f— this twitter + good luck to all of you who know the truth.”
By anyone’s standards, this was an amazing end to a Twitter career that had many fans quietly enamored with the actor’s seeming good humor. Just how many of these fans felt the same after this rant, however, remains to be seen.
Regardless, Baldwin will be missed on Twitter if only by those who really like to read celebrities lose their cool in real time. Of course, he may not stay away permanently; this is, after all, the second time he’s deleted his account. We can only hope that when he reappears, he’ll still have the same fire in his heart.
