Rust Director Takes Scathing Shot at Alec Baldwin’s New Reality Show

The man behind Rust has zero interest in Alec Baldwin’s new reality show—and he’s not shy about saying it.

Director Joel Souza, who was critically wounded in the same tragic on-set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, slammed Baldwin’s TLC series The Baldwins with a savage, no-holds-barred comment during a recent interview.

Asked whether he’d watched the series—an oddball domestic showcase of Baldwin, 67, his wife Hilaria, 41, and their seven children—Souza didn’t mince words. “I think I was busy hitting myself in the face with a frying pan that night,” he deadpanned to The Guardian. It was a sharp reminder of the lasting rift between Souza and Baldwin, who were once co-collaborators on a film that became infamous for tragedy rather than cinema.

Despite having directed Rust, Souza has now said he “wished [he’d] never written it,” and made it clear he has “no relationship” with Baldwin whatsoever. “We’re not friends. We’re not enemies. There’s no relationship,” Souza previously told Vanity Fair in a blunt assessment of their post-shooting dynamic.

For many Americans—especially those who watched the Hollywood elite spin the incident as just another PR crisis—the raw honesty is a refreshing contrast.

A Reality Show Built on Tragedy?

Baldwin’s reality show launched earlier this year to mixed reactions and considerable backlash. Many critics accused the family of exploiting a horrific workplace death for sympathy and screen time. The show attempts to portray the actor as a broken man struggling with PTSD, depression, and the consequences of a shooting that ended one life and nearly took another.

In the first episode, Baldwin is seen lamenting, “This past year was just terrible… I’d lay in bed and think, ‘Wow, my kids. I can’t get up.’” His wife Hilaria adds, “He was diagnosed with PTSD… In his darkest moments, he says, ‘Why couldn’t it have been me?’”

That would ring more sincere if Baldwin weren’t simultaneously filming a show highlighting diaper duty, dance recitals, and birthday cakes.

Souza Still Bears the Scars

Souza, who was also shot in the shoulder during the incident, has mostly stayed out of the spotlight—until now. While Baldwin initially faced involuntary manslaughter charges, those were dropped after a procedural issue. Meanwhile, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who loaded the fatal weapon, was convicted and is currently serving 18 months behind bars.

Legal experts speculate Baldwin’s case could be reopened after new forensic evidence emerged earlier this year, contradicting his claim that he never pulled the trigger.

Souza’s unwillingness to play along with Baldwin’s redemption arc could be a warning shot. While Hollywood circles the wagons to shield one of its own, Souza is sending a clear message: not everyone’s buying the sob story.

A Divided Audience

For many Republican-leaning Americans tired of celebrity self-pity and selective justice, Baldwin’s show is just more proof of how disconnected elites have become. Here’s a man at the center of a fatal shooting, now cashing in with a Max streaming deal, while those impacted continue to pick up the pieces in private.

Whether Baldwin sees The Baldwins as therapy, damage control, or brand revival, one thing is clear—Joel Souza won’t be watching.

And neither, it seems, will many Americans who still believe accountability shouldn’t end when the cameras start rolling.

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