Alec Baldwin Says It’s a ‘Normal Inclination’ to Defend ‘Friends’ Woody Allen and James Toback

Alec Baldwin. Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Dom Perignon

Alec Baldwin, who was recently given a talk show by ABC, has attempted to explain his defenses of James Toback and Woody Allen, who have been accused of sexual abuse. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Baldwin insisted that he is waiting for the courts to prosecute people and move things beyond “just accusations and condemnations being played out in the press.” “My inclination to want to defend my friends — who either (a) I thought were innocent, which is Woody or (b) I had no knowledge of what they did and I still have no knowledge of what they did, which is Toback,” Baldwin said, “is a normal inclination.” “If they’re convicted of a crime, well, then you’re sad, and that’s tragic,” Baldwin went on, “but they’ve got to go through that process. In the meantime, I hope that we see some manifestation of this beyond just social media.”

When asked if he would bring his friend Woody Allen on his new show, Baldwin said, “I doubt there’s any amount of money you could pay Woody to come on and talk about this stuff. He has already said everything he has to say.” He adds that he tried to invite Annabella Sciorra, who accused Harvey Weinstein of rape, but she turned him down, and that he would be interested in talking to Rose McGowan, though “I doubt she’d want to talk to me.”