Alec Baldwin Details Health Struggles After Rust Shooting

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Alec Baldwin is still grappling with lingering trauma.

Over four years after the tragic on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of the movie Rust, the actor has spoken about the significant emotional impact the event and its consequences have had on him.

On the December 19th episode of the Dopey podcast, 67-year-old Alec described how the experience completely devastated him – emotionally, financially, and professionally.

He explained that the health problems he’s faced since October 21, 2021 – the date of a very difficult experience – have significantly impacted his well-being, feeling like they’ve aged him by a decade.

The Emmy-winning actor, who had previously been charged with involuntary manslaughter but had those charges dropped in July 2024, was deeply affected by the consequences of the death of Halyna Hutchins, who was 42 years old.

He remembered a period when he napped daily for an entire year, and at one point became so exhausted he couldn’t move at all.

Earlier this year, Alec Baldwin spoke about the lasting emotional impact of a difficult situation, including the extended legal battles it caused. He has seven children with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, and a daughter, Ireland, 30, with his former wife, Kim Basinger. In January, Alec filed a lawsuit claiming malicious prosecution and violations of his civil rights.

During a February episode of their TLC show, The Baldwins, Alec told Hilaria how unreal the situation felt. He admitted he was more concerned about her well-being than his own, explaining he believed he could cope, but worried about the pain she was experiencing because of everything that was happening.

Hilaria, age 41, recognized the impact the situation had on her husband, but Alec said it was his family who helped him cope and keep going.

He said, with deep sincerity, that he wouldn’t know what he’d do without his family – his partner and children.

For more details on the tragic Rust shooting, keep reading.

The jury was shown video of Alec Baldwin practicing a scene where he pulled a gun while on the set of the film at Bonanza Creek Ranch. This footage was presented as the trial began on July 10th.

He remembered hearing the man ask, “So, should I pull it out?” as he repeatedly practiced drawing the gun from behind his jacket – three times in all.

In his opening remarks, lawyer Alex Spiro stressed that his client is an actor, and even if he fired the gun—something he maintains he didn’t do—he shouldn’t be held liable for the death of Halyna Hutchins.

Honestly, it just kills me to think about it. Spiro kept saying, and I’ve replayed it a million times in my head, that he had no idea. Absolutely no way he could have known that gun even had a bullet in it. He didn’t suspect a thing, not even for a second! It’s just… tragic. He truly didn’t know.

Spiro shared the 911 call from the set, made by a script supervisor shortly after Halyna Hutchins was shot at 1:46 p.m. on October 21, 2021.

The caller explained that a colleague, an art director, aggressively questioned them about changes during lunch and believes this person is to blame for the current situation.

In March 2023, David Halls, the first assistant director, received six months of unsupervised probation after admitting guilt to a misdemeanor charge related to the unsafe handling of a firearm.

The investigation revealed that Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer, were the last individuals to possess the gun before it fired the bullet that caused the death.

In March, Gutierrez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and received a jail sentence of up to 18 months. Baldwin now faces the same potential sentence if found guilty.

During Spiro’s initial statement, the state objected multiple times, including when he described it as natural for people to try and understand and find justice after a tragedy, calling it “part of the human condition, part of grief.”

Spiro ended his remarks by stating, “Justice is truth.” He described the situation as a terrible tragedy and asserted that Alec Baldwin did nothing wrong.

I was really paying attention on July 10th when the trial started, and the first witness, Officer Nicholas LeFleur, took the stand. He was with the Santa Fe Police Department, but working with the Sheriff’s office back then, and he was the very first person to arrive at Bonanza Creek Ranch after the shooting happened to Hutchins. It was a pretty impactful start to the proceedings.

Despite strong protests from the defense, the jury saw video from Officer LeFleur’s body camera, which showed the tense moments after Hutchins was shot. LeFleur testified that the video began inside the church, where first aid was given, and then continued as Hutchins was moved to an ambulance while they waited for a helicopter to transport her to the hospital.

I was really paying attention during LeFleur’s testimony, and he explained he went to his car for crime scene tape to section off the area – the body-cam footage clearly showed him doing that. He wasn’t quite sure, though, whether someone specifically told him to do it, or if it was just something he automatically did based on his training.

“I knew we needed to start one,” he said.

According to LeFleur, Alec Baldwin was not isolated from other witnesses before giving his statement, though LeFleur did ask him to stop speaking while the investigation was ongoing. Baldwin was seen on video smoking a cigarette at the time.

During questioning by the opposing lawyer, LeFleur stated that he didn’t know if a crime or an accident had happened when he initially posted the tape.

During questioning, LeFleur admitted that although he previously stated he warned Baldwin against talking to other witnesses, he didn’t actually tell Baldwin to stop speaking with them again. He also confirmed that people generally approached Baldwin to initiate conversations with him.

Spiro also pointed out that many police cars were present on set, and Baldwin could have been asked to sit in any of them, away from the other actors. However, no officer actually instructed him to do so. LeFleur confirmed this was a correct understanding of the situation.

During testimony on July 11th, Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office crime scene technician Marissa Poppell stated that investigators found both live and spent bullets while searching the set of the film Rust after the shooting.

During questioning, the prop master admitted there were real bullets in the cart used for props, specifically inside a box of ammunition and in the holsters worn by two actors. A photo shown in court revealed the live rounds had silver dots on the bottom, distinguishing them from the dummy bullets which were golden or bronze in color.

Spiro asked if your idea was that the live and dummy rounds looked so alike they could have been mixed up together at the scene.

She said yes. Added Spiro? “In other words, somebody could have mistaken one for the other, right?”

Poppell replied, “Yes.”

In her testimony on July 10th, Poppell stated that she retrieved Baldwin’s shoulder holster from the church after the shooting, and it still contained a single bullet.

During the jury’s lunch break, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer permitted prosecutors to play a segment of a phone call Alec Baldwin made to his wife, Hilaria, after the shooting of Halyna Hutchins. In the call, made from the police station, Baldwin urged Hilaria to come visit him in New Mexico, saying they would “have fun.”

According to special prosecutor Kari Morrissey, Alec Baldwin was unaware that Halyna Hutchins had died when he spoke on the phone, but he did know she had been severely hurt.

Honestly, as a long-time observer, it struck me that if the defendant hadn’t repeatedly emphasized how distressed he was, his current plans wouldn’t even be a topic of discussion. But he has been highlighting his emotional state, and now it turns out he’s essentially planning a getaway – it feels a little strange, to say the least.

The judge acknowledged the lawyers’ objections but stated it was important to address their claims about how distressed Mr. Baldwin was, as they clearly believed this was a significant factor in the case.

During questioning, Poppell stated she didn’t hide any evidence related to the Rust film set. She explained that after Gutierrez’s trial, someone gave her a box of bullets, but she didn’t add it to the existing evidence or share it with the defense team. She maintained she never provided any evidence directly to the defense.

Morrissey determined that the source of the live ammunition given to Poppell was a friend of Gutierrez’s father, Thell Reed, a well-known Hollywood armorer. The prosecutor suggested this person intended to falsely accuse Seth Kenney, the supplier of weapons for the film Rust, of bringing live rounds onto the set.

During further questioning, Poppell stated she couldn’t prove Kenney brought live ammunition to the set, but she did have evidence suggesting Hannah Gutierrez did.

Honestly, I’m absolutely floored! I just heard from NBC News that Gutierrez’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, is saying it’s beyond shocking that they didn’t even bother to test those bullets! Like, seriously? They found other bullets on the Rust set, and they didn’t check if these were the same kind? It just feels… negligent, you know? I’ve been following this case so closely, and this just adds another layer of confusion and frustration. It’s like they didn’t even try to get to the bottom of things!

Bowles stated that they concealed information until it was brought up during the trial. He emphasized that to uncover the truth, every possible avenue must be investigated.

The trial began on July 12th, but the judge dismissed the jury for the day shortly after they were seated. This happened because the defense argued that the prosecution had hidden important evidence.

After Gutierrez was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March for her involvement in Hutchins’ death, Poppell stated that she received a box of ammunition from Troy Teske, a former Arizona police officer and a friend of Gutierrez’s father. Teske had been previously described as someone helping out, but was later identified in court.

Spiro had asked Poppell why she hadn’t included the box with the other evidence from the Rust case.

This morning, before the jury entered the room, Poppell reiterated that she hadn’t deliberately concealed anything. She explained to Spiro that she had been told to file the box under a different case number and had simply followed those instructions.

The defense claims the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the state didn’t tell Alec Baldwin that evidence suggested the live round originated with Seth Kenney.

Following the lunch break, the prosecution brought in Kenney, the owner of PDQ Props, to testify. Kenney’s company supplied the firearms and blank ammunition used on the Rust movie set. This testimony was given outside the presence of the jury as part of a hearing related to a request made by the defense.

Kenney stated that after providing over a thousand rounds of blank ammunition, he was certain he could have also supplied live rounds to the set if needed.

Morrissey called the defense’s attempt to blame Kenney “a wild goose chase.”

Morrissey voluntarily testified to clarify her involvement – or rather, her lack of involvement, as she stated – in the missing box of ammunition delivered by Teske, which wasn’t added to the evidence in the Rust case.

She stated that Jason Bowles, Gutierrez’s lawyer, knew Teske intended to give him the specific ammunition. After Bowles showed her a picture of those rounds, she felt they didn’t match the live rounds discovered on the set of Rust.

Morrissey stated that Bowles told Teske he wouldn’t need him to testify. She also mentioned that after Teske delivered the ammunition to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Detective (now Corporal) Alexandra Hancock assured her it would be entered as evidence.

Morrissey testified she had “no idea” it wouldn’t be filed under the Rust case number.

Morrissey stated that the ammunition Teske provided wouldn’t have damaged the prosecution’s case, and in fact, it was exactly the kind of evidence he was hoping for.

As a longtime follower of this case, I was relieved to hear that Judge Sommer has dismissed the charges against Baldwin. What’s really important is that the dismissal was ‘with prejudice,’ which means they can’t bring those charges against him again. It feels like a definitive end to this whole situation.

The judge sided with the defense, stating that the state failed to share potentially important evidence. As a result, the judge ruled that dismissing the case was the only appropriate solution.

As soon as it was obvious how the judge was going to decide, Baldwin started to cry, and Hilaria did too. She and her brother-in-law, Stephen Baldwin, were both present every day of the trial.

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2025-12-24 20:20