Aimee Walker
Fox News presenter Rick Leventhal has defended his decision to dress up as Alec Baldwin, from the set of Rust, for Halloween.
The senior correspondent took to Instagram over the weekend and shared a snap of himself ‘celebrating the great American actor,’ while wearing a western hat, plaid shirt, leather vest, and denim jeans, while holding a gun.
The costume appears to be a reference to the tragic shooting that took place last month when Baldwin accidentally ‘discharged a prop gun‘ which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Watch as Alec Baldwin breaks his silence on the tragic shooting in the clip below…
However, he’s insisted the only person he set out to ‘offend’ was Baldwin.
He told Page Six: “In no way was I trying to offend anyone, except Alec Baldwin.
“He’s a jerk and deserves all the heat he’s getting.”
He continued: “We planned our costumes weeks ago, and I just decided to be [Baldwin] at the last minute.
“If Baldwin is anti-gun why is he waving them around in movies and pointing them at people and pulling the trigger?
“Focus your anger at him and the hypocrisy of that industry.”
Piers Morgan Blasts Alec Baldwin’s ‘Insensitive’ Halloween Celebrations
Despite his explanation, thousands have taken to the comments section of his post to tell him the costume was in ‘poor taste’.
One person commented: “Sorry but bad taste. Come on, someone lost their life.”
Another added: “Thirsty as f***. A little boy is missing his mum.”
“Poor taste. Alec Baldwin is probably devastated,” a third said.
Pitching in, a fourth wrote: “Keep it classy. Yikes. I’m embarrassed for you.”
Baldwin spoke out in public about the incident for the first time over the weekend.
He told reporters: “She was my friend. The day I arrived in Santa Fe and started shooting I took her to dinner with Joel,” Mr Baldwin told photographers who had been following him and his family in the state of Vermont.
“We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened.”
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