Ireland Baldwin corrected after using term 'Latinx' amid stepmom Hilaria's heritage controversy
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Ireland Baldwin is grateful for her fans.
The star recently stepped in to support her stepmother, Hilaria Baldwin, as fans debate the authenticity of her Spanish heritage, having accused her of faking an accent for years.
On Monday, the 23-year-old model took to social media to address the controversy.
"I simply want to say this and then nothing more. I am fully supportive of any individual of the Latinx community. I will continue to listen and learn," she said, according to screenshots obtained by The Daily Mail. "But I also feel defensive when misinformation spreads regarding my family. I will do better. ... At the same time, I hope that people can start getting information from credible sources."
However, she quickly drew backlash for using the term "Latinx," as it describes people with a heritage rooted in Latin America, as opposed to Hilaria, 36, who claimed to have been born in Mallorca, Spain.
One fan even reached out to the star to inform her of the mistake.
Ireland Baldwin has expressed gratitude after an Instagram follower clarified that her step-mother, Hilaria Baldwin, is not Latinx, as she does not come from Latin America. (Getty Images/AP)
The fan, who identified herself as "a Latina," first thanked the star for her "empathy and openness."
"Friendly FYI - Spain is not geography located in Latin America," they said. "So people from Spain are only labeled as Spanish, Spaniards, or as Hispanic."
The follower further explained that the term "Hispanic" refers to a "person from a predominantly Spanish language speaking country," whereas "Latinx" is used to refer to someone from Latin America.
"That is why people from Spain are not labeled as Latinx because Spain is in Europe, not Latin America," the fan concluded.
Baldwin shared a screenshot of the conversation on her Instagram Story, as captured by Daily Mail, and expressed appreciation for the clarification.
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"Really appreciate Instagram friends who reach out and correct me and give me opportunities to learn," she wrote. "I am here to listen!"
On Tuesday, Ireland again supported her stepmother in a statement shared on Instagram.
"Like I mentioned yesterday, I do love my step mom very much. I think she's a strong, kind, and a caring human being," she said, in part. "Without saying anything further on all of this, I think it is her business and not my own to discuss her family background and answer your questions."
Ireland Baldwin is the daughter of actors Alec Baldwin -- who is now married to Hilaria Baldwin -- and Kim Basinger. (Getty Images)
The drama started when Hilaria, a yoga/wellness expert, reacted to a tweet which said, "You have to admire Hilaria Baldwin’s commitment to her decade long grift where she impersonates a Spanish person." The now-viral tweet has since been deleted.
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Hilaria had claimed she was born in Mallorca, Spain, and was raised in Boston. She explained on a podcast in April 2020, "I moved here [to America] when I was 19 to go to NYU from ... my family lives in Spain, they live in Mallorca." The bilingual mother of five's accent has also noticeably fluctuated over the years when she has made appearances on TV.
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The mother of five has since addressed the criticism online in a video. "There have been some questions about where I’m born, I’m born in Boston. ... I spent some of my childhood in Boston, some of my childhood in Spain, my family, my brother, my parents, my nephew, everybody is over there in Spain now, I’m here," she explained.
Fox News' Melissa Roberto contributed to this report
