Baldwin Apologizes for Mail-Order Bride War

30 Rock star issues written mea culpa to Philippines after cracking wise on Letterman

By Gina Serpe May 21, 2009 3:00 PMTags

Usually, celebrities go on talk shows to apologize, not apologize after they go on talk shows. Leave it to Alec Baldwin to break from the usual convention.

The 30 Rock star has issued a mea culpa to the people of the Philippines—and any other viewer—who took offense to an offhand joke he delivered during his appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman last Tuesday.

"I'd like to offer an apology and a clarification to remarks I made recently," he writes on the Huffington Post.

"While on the David Letterman program, I joked that I might need a 'mail-order bride' to achieve the goal of having more children in my life. I believe that most people understood that this was a joke and took it as such. (A dated reference, no doubt, and another sign of my advancing age.)

"However, I do apologize to anyone who took offense."

When asked by the host if he ever thought about expanding his brood, he now regrettably quipped, "I'm thinking about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this point…or a Russian one."

The comment resulted in a backlash from foreign ministry officials, protests and Baldwin's blacklisting from the Philippines as a result of his newfound status as an "undesirable alien."

Keen to stop the budding international incident from getting even more out of hand, Baldwin yesterday issued a written apology for the remark.

"The comments of some Philippine government officials come as no surprise to me, either. Even the one by a former action film star turned senator who beckoned me to come to the Philippines so he could 'beat' me over my comment."

That would be Philippine Sen. Ramon Revilla, who called the joke "insensitive and uncalled for" and invited the 51-year-old Emmy winner to come to the Philippines and "see mayhem," ostensibly delivered by Ravilla himself.

Unfortunately, even if he wanted to take the senator up on his gracious offer, Baldwin would unlikely make it past customs.

Despite his apology and acknowledgment that "such anger and frustration about the issue of sex trafficking is understandable," Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan today released a statement banning the actor from his shores.

"By being in the bureau's blacklist, Baldwin is forbidden from entering the country as he is deemed an undesirable alien," Libanan said.

Guess that means it's back to open season on the mail-order bride jokes.

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