4 Relationship Mistakes of Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin

The union of Kim Basinger, Oscar Award winner, and Alec Baldwin seems to have been the most volatile of all celebrity unions. Their first meeting in “The Marrying Man” followed by courtship, engagement, and marriage was loaded with a variety of conflicts. Quite obviously, the relationship was doomed to failure right from its inception. A close analysis of their relationship reveals some major relationship mistakes that must be avoided at all costs.

1. Bad Beginning Leading to a Nightmarish Break Up 

Relationships that are not peaceful during their initial stages usually end in misery. Unlike what many people think, marriage doesn’t “put right” a bad relationship; in fact, marriage magnifies relationship problems.  

Kim and Alec met in 1990 on the set of “The Marrying Man.” He was the playboy and she was the attractive nightclub singer. While they got along famously at times, they also broke into the most violent quarrels. To put it in a nutshell, the couple, who began battling in those early days of their relationship, did not really stop even after their divorce in 2001. Kim and Alec continued to be locked in a bitter custody battle over their daughter, Ireland.   

2. Bad Reason for a Break Up 

Although Kim and Alec got engaged in 1992, Kim dropped him for a trivial reason—she heard that Alec had a dinner date with his ex fiancée. This was a hilarious reason for breaking up a relationship, even a relationship fraught with a variety of relationship wars. However, Alec worked hard to win Kim back and finally succeeded, only to get divorced in 2002 after nine years of married life.  

3. Spouse Bashing 

Spouse bashing is the worst relationship mistake anybody can make, and Alec and Kim continued bashing each other even after their divorce. This attitude of animosity resulted in a bitter courtroom battle instead of an amicable settlement.  

The couple began by blaming each other for alcohol abuse. Kim claimed that Alec had mood swings that made him a “tin-pot tyrant and bully.” The marriage broke on grounds of “irreconcilable differences” and even the divorce did not create any peace between the two.  

Friends of Alec are of the opinion that Kim has given Alec hell, especially over the matter of their daughter, Ireland. But many people are of the opinion that this is not an excuse for Alec’s anger problem. Whatever the problem, the couple could have avoided the worst possible publicity for themselves and their young daughter by simply refraining from verbally bashing each other in public.  

4. Putting Children on the Battle Front 

Although Kim was quite determined that he “will never get her—not while I'm breathing,” Alec was permitted by the court to visit Ireland and call her on condition that he took anger therapy and parenting courses. In October 2006, he accused his ex wife of attempting to “alienate his daughter from him.” In April 2006, Alec flew into a rage because Ireland failed to answer the phone. He ranted for a long time, and in the process, called Ireland a “thoughtless little pig.” The message, which was recorded on her voice mail, leaked into the media.  

Kim might have been trying to alienate Ireland from her father. However, the father proved to have a really bad temper and ended up verbally abusing his 11-year-old daughter. He later apologized to his daughter and said that he had meant it to be a rant against her mother. 

Such behavior on the part of the estranged couple has the worst possible effect on young children. Using children to emotionally blackmail the ex spouse or verbally bashing up an ex spouse through a child is the fourth largest mistake that couples must avoid at any cost in a relationship.