Alec Baldwin caught heat for his “extremely strange” Veterans Day message honoring service members — and Kevin Bacon.
“God bless brave, duty-bound soldiers everywhere…,” Baldwin captioned an image of Bacon portraying Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl from the 2009 HBO historical drama, “Taking Chance.”
While the film is based on the recollections of Lt. Col Strobl, a United States marine who accompanied the remains of a fallen soldier fatally wounded by gunfire during the Iraq War and returned back home to Wyoming, Baldwin was criticized for his “tone deaf” choice to post on Veterans Day.
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Alec Baldwin received criticism for a “tone deaf” Veterans Day Instagram post. (Alberto E. Rodriguez)
“With respect, surely you could have found a stock photo of real soldiers,” one user questioned in the comments section of Baldwin’s Instagram post.
“There are plenty of photos out there of real vets who proudly served our country,” another follower posted.
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“This is extremely strange,” one user wrote. “Why would you post a picture of an actor playing a Marine? It presents as out of touch and tone deaf.”
“Why do you hate kevin bacon? This doesn’t make sense. Do you hate soldiers?” another follower asked.
“Not an appropriate photo choice. We’re honoring veterans; not actors playing veterans,” one fan quipped.
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A few followers came to Baldwin’s defense and noted the significance of the Ross Katz-directed film, which earned a number of accolades, including a Golden Globe for best actor in a miniseries or a motion picture made for television and a Screen Actors Guild award for Bacon.
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“Wow guys. This is from a movie called Taking Chance with Kevin Bacon. It’s a very well done, critically acclaimed film,” one fan noted.
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“Taking Chance is one of the MOST beautiful movies I have ever watched. It’s such a gentle, loving tribute to the marines and to their service, and sacrifice. It moves me to tears any time I’ve watched it. Thank you for reminding me about it, I think I’ll watch it again this evening,” another follower commented.
Some fans didn’t take the post too seriously, and added a little humor to the comment section. “Just think of how many US service members are only 7 degrees from this post,” one user wrote.
Kevin Bacon was celebrated for his portrayal of Lt. Col Michael Strobl in the 2009 film, “Taking Chance.” (Paul Morigi)
“What’s the problem? Kevin single handedly saved the town of Bomont, UT in the Great Footloose Battle of 1984! You guys are some haters! Semper Plié!!!” another user wrote.
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Representatives for Baldwin did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Baldwin will soon return to television screens with the release of his family’s reality TV show, “The Baldwins,” debuting in 2025 on the TLC network.
“The Baldwins” will premiere on TLC in 2025. (RouShoots)
Baldwin and his wife Hilaria have 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.
Later this week, the Emmy-award winning actor will release his controversial film four years in the making, “Rust.”
In July, a New Mexico judge dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin for the fatal, on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after ruling that the prosecution concealed evidence from his legal team.
Alec Baldwin cried in court after his involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed. (Ramsay de Give/Pool Photo via AP)
Baldwin was facing up to 18 months in prison if convicted of Hutchins’ October 2021 death. “Rust” premieres on the big screen at the Camerimage Festival in Poland on Nov. 16.
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