soth3.7

Airing on Feb. 23, the episode showcased the family’s retreat to Baldwin’s sprawling Amagansett estate, filmed as he prepared for his highly publicized involuntary manslaughter trial stemming from the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. Seeking a sense of normalcy, Hilaria explained why they turned to the Hamptons during this turbulent period.

“This is Alec’s happy place and before the trial, I want the kids to experience the freedom and the carefree nature of the Hamptons,” she says in the episode. “Alec is from Long Island and he has had this house in the Hamptons for about 40 years. Not only is it beautiful, the kids love the pool, they have the horses. There’s so many things that they love so to be able to give that to our kids, we feel very privileged to have it.”

She also reflected on the area’s seasonal shift, noting, “We come out to the Hamptons every summer. People live here all year round, and this is their community and they’ve lived here for many, many generations. And then this whole crowd comes in for July and August. It becomes wild.”

The episode delved into the emotional weight Baldwin continues to carry from the Rust tragedy. Hilaria shared that his OCD worsened in its aftermath, and he has struggled with PTSD.

“He was diagnosed with PTSD and he says in his darkest moments, ‘If an accident had to have happened this day, why am I still here? Why couldn’t it have been me?’” Hilaria recalled.

“This past year was just terrible. There was times I’d lay in bed and I’d go, ‘Wow I can’t get up.’ That’s not like me. I’m not like that at all. Not in any way am I like that, never,” Alec admitted.

Baldwin also revealed the crisis has led him to question his own existence and the purpose of his large family. “Sometimes I’d say, ‘Why do we have seven kids?’ And I realize, to help carry me and you through this situation.”

“Yes, we’re blessed to have them and they give us joy. And at the same time we want to make sure that they are always our children and that they can be children and that they don’t have the burden of having to carry us,” Hilaria reacted. “And that’s why we get up. We put a smile on our face to the best of our ability because we want that to be our reality. That’s why we came out here this summer.”

Despite their efforts to move forward, the impact of Hutchins’ death remains ever-present. “Life will forever be different,” Hilaria said. “Halyna lost her life in the most unthinkable tragedy. A son lost his mom. We are going to feel and carry this pain forever. This will be a part of our family’s story.”

Billy Joel is set to make history this summer, becoming the first artist to play all three New York City-area sports stadiums in one season. The longtime Hamptons resident will kick off his 2025 tour in Toronto before heading to Yankee Stadium on July 18, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Aug. 8, and Citi Field on Aug. 21.

“Each holds personal significance to me,” Joel told Billboard in a statement. “There’s nothing like the energy of the crowds in New York, and sharing a stage with my friends, Rod Stewart, Sting and Stevie Nicks, whose music always inspires me, is extremely rewarding.”

The Hamptons could soon be the backdrop of a new TV series—if the title is any clue. TikTok star Christina “Tinx” Najjar’s upcoming novel Hotter in the Hamptons is already in development for a screen adaptation ahead of its May 6 release date.

Sara and Erin Foster, the sister duo behind Nobody Wants This, will produce the comedy series through their Fatigue Sisters Productions. The project follows Lola, a rising fashion star whose career crumbles, forcing her to escape to the East End.

Tinx, who told South O’ the Highway last month that writing a novel was her “absolute dream,” is now adding executive producer to her resume.

And speaking of books, Montauk’s Julianne Moore made her feelings known after learning her children’s book, Freckleface Strawberry, has been banned by the Department of Defense. The 2007 picture book follows a young girl who learns to embrace her freckles, realizing she’s “different just like everybody else,’” Moore explained online.

Moore said she’s in “great shock” and “particularly stunned” by the ban, given that she is a “proud graduate” of Frankfurt American High School and is the daughter of a Vietnam veteran who spent his career in the US Army.

“It is galling for me to realize that kids like me, growing up with a parent in the service and attending a [Department of Defense Education Activity] school will not have access to a book written by someone whose life experience is so similar to their own,” she wrote on Instagram to her 2.6 million followers. 

And I can’t help but wonder what is so controversial about this picture book that cause it to be banned by the US Government. I am truly saddened and never thought I would see this in a country where freedom of speech and expression is a constitutional right,” Moore wrote on Instagram to her 2.6 million followers.

Fellow stars weighed in, with Debi Mazar calling it “horrific”, while Hamptons residents Andy Cohen called it an “absolutely joke” and Naomi Watts commenting, “OMFG Insanity!!”

We hear…

Bobby Flay is mourning the loss of his father, Bill Flay, who passed away at 93. The celebrity chef’s daughter, Sophie Flay, shared the news on Feb. 25, calling her grandfather her “whole world” and remembering him as a Navy lieutenant and the “biggest jokester” who “always had a bit going.”

Fellow Hamptons-based TV chefs Ina Garten and Alex Guarnaschelli, and frequent Hamptons visitor Tom Colicchio, sent their condolences. Bobby, who owns a home in Amagansett, thanked friends and fans for their “thoughtful words” during this time.

LTV Studios is celebrating Women’s History Month with special programming throughout March. Highlights include a screening of Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed and Unbowed on Friday, March 14, at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., followed by A Winter’s Evening of Local Music on Saturday, March 15, at 7 p.m.

Sightings…

East Hampton icon Steven Spielberg was photographed in late February in New Jersey, filming scenes for an upcoming movie he stars in alongside Emily Blunt. The movie is also slated to film in Huntington this month.

Julianne Moore showed off behind-the-scenes footage of getting a facial at Fabricio Ormonde Skincare in Manhattan on Feb. 27.

Interior designer Libby Langdon enjoyed a peaceful walk by the bay in Sag Harbor on the night of Feb. 25, showing off a serene photo of the water to Instagram.