While anti-Israel protesters overtake college campuses, block traffic, and infiltrate Starbucks across the country, Alec Baldwin just found himself on the receiving end of an ambush in New York City.
On Tuesday’s show, Megyn was joined by legal experts Dave Aronberg and Mike Davis to discuss the harassment Baldwin faced and the surprising restraint he showed during the encounter.
Baldwin Ambushed
A content creator who goes by the name ‘Crackhead Barney & Friends’ on social media posted a video of herself approaching Baldwin in a New York City coffee shop on Monday and insisting he say “Free Palestine.”
She appeared to follow the actor into the store while pleading with him. “Free Palestine, Alec, just one time and I’ll leave you alone,” she said. “I’ll leave you alone, I swear, just say free Palestine one time.”
At one point, Baldwin could be seen on the phone as he gestured to an employee to help get the agitator out of the establishment. He eventually asked someone to call the police.
Crackhead Barney, meanwhile, called Baldwin a “white devil” and “f-cking criminal” and evoked the death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. “Why did you kill that lady,” she asked. “You killed that lady and got no jail time.”
Towards the end of the confrontation, Baldwin held the door open for Crackhead Barney while motioning for her to leave. She begged him to say “Free Palestine,” “F-ck Israel,” or “f-ck Zionism.” It was then that he appeared to knock the phone out of her hands.
Her Instagram account — which has some 95,000 followers and hosted the longer-form version of the incident — has since been made private. In that clip, Crackhead Barney could be seen yelling at Baldwin for “grabbing my f-cking phone” as she left the store and he seemingly locked the door behind her. She then claimed Baldwin “assaulted” her and said she had the assault on camera because he is “so stupid” and “doesn’t even know how to delete video.”
‘It’s Infuriating’
While Megyn noted that Baldwin is known to have a “temper” and is “obviously in a lot of trouble right now in New Mexico because of the death of the cinematographer on his movie set,” she was “100 percent ‘Team Alec Baldwin’ when it comes to what just happened to him here.”
And she was not alone. After watching the altercation, Megyn asked Aronberg, the resident prosecutor on the panel, if he would take Crackhead Barney’s case. The short answer? “No.”
While Aronberg said Crackhead Barney – who has a history of ambushing people at events – could file a police report for battery, the question he must ask as a prosecutor is: “Can I prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt?”
He does not believe there is a jury in the United States that would find Baldwin guilty. “She actually portrays herself as a victim, while Baldwin is opening the door and asking her politely to please leave,” Aronberg noted. “This is why they’re losing support… This is why even Megyn Kelly came to the defense of Alec Baldwin – and justifiably so.”
In Davis’ view, Baldwin actually exhibited admirable restraint. “I loathe Hamas supporters, I loathe antisemites, and I loathe people who protest in restaurants,” he said.”This person was all three, so I think that Alec Baldwin showed tremendous restraint there.”
Megyn said the ambush tactics were reminiscent of videos from the height of the Black Lives Matter movement when protesters would demand people at restaurants voice their support for their cause. “Those poor people couldn’t continue their meal unless they said the words,” she recalled. “Like, hello, this is America. Sit the eff down or I’m calling the cops.”
With that in mind, Megyn thinks she may have been less reserved than Baldwin. “I think I would have given her a comment. I think I would have been like, ‘I do have something I want to say. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Go eff yourself’ – only I would have used the actual f-word,” she concluded. “Anyway, it’s infuriating.”
You can check out Megyn’s interview with Aronberg and Davis by tuning in to episode 773 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.