Ireland Baldwin Praises Stepmom Hilaria Baldwin, Insists She's Not Trying to 'Secure My Inheritance'

On Thursday, the 29-year-old -- who is the daughter of Alec Baldwin and his first wife, Kim Basinger -- shared a post on Instagram, in which she opened up about her close relationship with her stepmother, while also seemingly defending Hilaria amid criticism following her casting on Dancing with the Stars.

"I wanted to take a second to talk about my step mom @hilariabaldwin. I think if people actually knew her the way I do, they would be quite surprised. This post may come out of left field since I don't post about her or any family members much," Ireland began in her post, which featured a fun photo of herself and Hilaria, 41, together. (See above.)

"I expect misinformed comments and plenty of comments about me only playing nice so I can secure my inheritance. C'mon, people. I see the comments. I'm not getting an inheritance. I have 7 siblings 😂," she continued, referring to Hilaria and her dad, Alec's seven children: Carmen, 12, Rafael, 10, Leonardo, 8, Romeo, 7, Eduardo, 5, María, 4, and Ilaria, 2.

The model went on to praise Hilaria, who married Alec in 2012, and expressed her love and support for her stepmother, while also noting how much she's positively impacted her father.

"These thoughts have been on my mind since I last visited her on the east coast," Ireland wrote. "Hilaria has had a far more complex and chaotic upbringing than she lets on and I think that’s why we’ve maybe bonded in someways? She didn't always feel safe and seen. Sometimes, she is too loyal to a fault. She is eccentric and totally bat s--t crazy (in a fun way) but she saved my dad's life. She turned his health around and has shown him the forgiveness and kindness that he needed. She also recognizes and nourishes the parts of my father that are the most compassionate and wonderful. She's taught him that he doesn’t need to suffer inside of his own head and stay stuck in his own past. That it's never too late to admit you need help and it's never too late to learn to be kind to yourself."

"Hilaria is the reason I am able to have the close relationship with my father that I do. She is the reason I get to have siblings/a big family that I’ve always wanted. She has always respected me, accepted my flaws, embraced me, and has always shown me kindness," Ireland added. "I met her as a teenager and I needed her as an example. I still very much look up to her now."

She ended her post by noting that she looks forward to supporting Hilaria on DWTS. "I am so proud of her for doing Dancing With the Stars and I CANNOT wait to cheer her ass on," Ireland concluded. "She deserves this! And it’s not my place to share the ins and outs, but this woman is a gem and deserves all the love."

Hilaria reacted to her stepdaughter's sweet message in the comments section, writing, "I'm crying. I love you with all my heart, @irelandirelandireland ❤️. These words mean so much. You mean so much to me 💙."

While Ireland did not specifically note the reason why she decided to speak out in support of Hilaria, her post comes just a few days after Hilaria was announced as a cast member of Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars, for which she's paired with pro Gleb Savchenko.

Hilaria has been the subject of criticism in the past, most notably, accent-gate in 2020. The mom of seven became a hot topic when it was revealed that Hilaria wasn't an international beauty from Spain, but a woman named Hilary from Boston. The reality star was born in Spain and says she spent holidays there, but she didn't grow up there.

As such, accent-gate became a whole thing as people tried to make sense of why she would speak with a Spanish accent, struggle to think of the English word for "cucumber" while on the Today show, and other odd comments that would seem to suggest she is a foreign citizen in the United States -- if she grew up in Massachusetts.

In her 2025 memoir, Manual Not Included, Hilaria claimed there is a medical explanation for why her accent seems to shift from American to Spanish to some hybrid in-between.

"I have ADHD and dyslexia," she wrote. "And these greatly impact my speech, my reading, my listening, my focus, my memory and my self-confidence."

She added, "My brain just works differently."

See the other stars Hilaria will be competing against on Season 34 of DWTS in the gallery, below.