Alec Baldwin’s Talk Show Is A Slap In The Face To #MeToo & #TimesUp

Last Sunday evening, after Jimmy Kimmel wrapped up the 90th Academy Awards, a new talk show debuted on ABC. Based on the podcast Here’s The Thing with Alec Baldwin, Sundays with Alec Baldwin “features one-on-one conversations with some of the most interesting people from American pop culture”. While the premise of the series sounds innocuous enough, the mere fact that Baldwin has been granted such a mainstream platform during a such a seismic industry shift feels not just boring, but incredibly tone-deaf. Giving Alec Baldwin a talk show is a slap in the face to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have swept Hollywood over the last year.

In an era that is finally seeing women believed and powerful, abusive men held responsible for their actions, it’s impossible not to immediately think of Baldwin’s track record – and wonder why his history is being overlooked. The actor stuck up for Dustin Hoffman and referred to late-night shows as “grand juries”, after John Oliver grilled him about sexual harassment allegations, stuck by former collaborator James Toback when hundreds of women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct (even lashing out at our own Kayla Cobb in the process), and most recently, compared Dylan Farrow to the lying rape accuser from To Kill a Mockingbird for continuing to allege her adoptive father Woody Allen molested her as a child. (This is all in addition to the infamous voicemail in which he called his daughter Ireland a “rude, thoughtless little pig”). When the actor admitted last fall that he’d “bullied” and treated women in a “very sexist way” and that he really wanted the systemic mistreatment of women to “change,” it seemed like he might be turning over a new leaf, perhaps even making himself an ally during this complex moment in history. It took mere weeks for him to backpedal and make his “grand juries” statement, however, and since then, the only thing he’s really shown himself to be is a disbelieving voice of Hollywood past.

If we’re really listening to the individuals coming forward with their stories of abuse and committing to making a change, why is an individual who called the movements “vexing” in the first episode of his new show – and has spent the last few months defending these alleged abusers – getting a pass? Why is Alec Baldwin exempt from #TimesUp? It’s not as though he hasn’t had chances in the past; almost five years ago, Baldwin’s MSNBC talkshow Up Late with Alec Baldwin was cancelled after the actor went on a crass, homophobic tirade against a New York Post photographer and allegedly treated the show’s staff poorly. We’re existing in a moment where the public has expressed a desire to hear more about the stories that have been kept quiet for decades and the abuse that has been kept quiet for far too long – so why negate the hard work these survivors are doing by allowing a man who only adds to the chorus of excuse-makers? It’s more than just a poor oversight – at this point, it reads as a shady play for ratings on ABC’s part.

Before Sundays with Alec Baldwin had even aired an episode, it seemed pretty obvious that Baldwin wouldn’t be able to add to this conversation in a constructive manner. Frankly, his sit-down with Jerry Seinfeld felt banal; the last thing we need more of right now is a chat between two white, rich, powerful, established men about the state of the industry and the implications of #MeToo and #TimesUp. If Baldwin wants to facilitate substantial discussions about #MeToo, speaking with – and actually listening to – someone involved in the movement might be a good place to start.

So far, only one episode of Sundays with Alec Baldwin has run on ABC (a barely finished pilot, at that). Eight additional episodes are set to air later this year, and there’s still time for the network – and Baldwin – to turn things around.

Watch Sundays With Alec Baldwin on Hulu