Hilaria Baldwin defends her ‘inauthentic’ Spanish accent after years of mockery: ‘We are a mix’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hilaria Baldwin has long been criticized for her seemingly inconsistent Spanish accent, but she is now addressing the controversy in her new TLC reality TV series, 'The Baldwins'.

The mother of seven, born Hillary Hayward-Thomas in Boston, explains that her bilingual upbringing has influenced how she speaks.

Hilaria Baldwin says mixing two languages is 'normal'

Speaking about switching between two languages, Hilaria Baldwin said, "Growing up speaking two languages is extremely special."

"I love English and I also love Spanish, and when I mix the two, it doesn't make me inauthentic. When I mix the two, it makes me normal!" she added.

Despite being raised in the US, Hilaria’s parents currently reside in Majorca, Spain.

She says this connection to Spanish culture is important to her and her family.

Hilaria Baldwin reflects on emotional toll of backlash over Spanish accent

Hilaria Baldwin admits that the public scrutiny has taken an emotional toll on her over the years.

The accusations, which suggest she has deliberately exaggerated or fabricated a Spanish identity, have deeply affected her.

"I would be lying if I said it didn't make me sad and it didn't hurt and it didn't put me in dark places," she confessed.

However, she credits her loved ones for helping her through the difficult times.

"It was my family, my friends, my community who speak multiple languages, who have belonged in multiple places, and realize that we are a mix of all these different things," Baldwin continued.

"That is going to have an impact on how we sound and how we articulate things and the words that we choose and our mannerisms. That's normal. That’s what's called being human," she added.

Hilaria Baldwin's infamous 'cucumber' incident

The controversy surrounding Hilaria Baldwin’s accent dates back to 2015 when she went viral for seemingly forgetting the English word for "cucumber" while appearing on the 'Today' show.

During a cooking segment, she hesitated before saying, "How do you say in English? Cucumber."

In 2021, Daily Mail revealed that Baldwin had listed her birthplace as Majorca, Spain, on her agency’s website, despite being born and raised in Boston.

She responded by explaining that she had spent "some" of her childhood in Spain and "some" in Massachusetts.

"There was a lot of back and forth my entire life," she stated.

"I'm really lucky that I grew up speaking two different languages and I'm trying to raise my kids so they speak two languages too. That’s something very important to me, especially having my family abroad," the yoga instructor said.

The Baldwin family’s Spanish connection

Hilaria and her husband, Alec Baldwin, have embraced Spanish culture in their household.

All seven of their children have Spanish names, Carmen Gabriela, 10, Rafael Thomas, eight, Leonardo Angel Charles, seven, Romeo Alejandro David, six, Eduardo Pao Lucas, three, Maria Lucia Victoria, three, and Ilaria Catalina Irena.