Alec Baldwin has been an A-list celebrity in Hollywood since the 1980s. He has over a 40-year acting career, and has produced several films. So when he and his wife Hilaria Baldwin announced they were launching their own TLC family-based reality series, questions were asked. What brought about this sudden interest in shifting from his traditional role as a leading man to starring with his wife and 7 kids in a reality show? Jon Gosselin, another TLC reality TV personality who has experience with raising children under the scrutiny of cameras, has some words of warning for the celebrity couple.

Alec ought to pay special attention to the nature of the genre, even if his show is supposed to focus on his wife and children as much as it does the Hollywood legend. This is especially true as he still faces charges related to the shooting and killing of Halyna Hutchins with a prop gun on the set of Rust, a film in which Alec was both star and producer. The actor still faces a potential prison sentence if found guilty. He continues to maintain his innocence in the case, but reality TV is a tricky space to navigate when the subject is tied up in a legal battle.

The pitfalls of reality TV are especially obvious when you bring children onto set, of which Alec and Hilaria have seven. It is clear from the recent teaser the family released via Instagram that the children and the family’s daily lives will be a central aspect of the series. It is possible the wholesome image they intend to create on their TLC series is a part of a rehabilitation campaign for Alec’s public image, or perhaps a continued source of income for the family if his court battle does not end favorably. If a positive public image is the idea, TheBaldwins should be cautious about how alert reality TV audiences are to scenes that seem over-produced. The couple should consider the pitfalls of reality TV by paying attention to the experiences of another family-based TLC reality star, realizing that many reality TV personalities have tried and failed to present a perfect picture to the public, and that viewers are very alert to scenes by Hollywood actors that come across as over-produced.

Former TLC Star Speaks Out Against ‘The Baldwins’

Jon and his wife Kate Gosselin raised their family of 8 children on the TLC series Jon & Kate Plus 8. After the couple’s instantaneous rise to fame, their relationship became strained. The series ran for two seasons, but after their divorce in 2009, it was renamed as Kate Plus 8 and then ran until 2017. His experience with filming the reality series left Jon with a piece of advice for Alec, telling the actor in an interview with Fox News to “run the other way.” Although the A-list celebrity is, of course, familiar with how paparazzi work, Jon also cautioned him against how much people will be looking to catch him in any kind of scenario that might jeopardize the way he portrays his life on the series: “Why would you invite drama into your household, when all you’ve been trying to do is live, you know, a private life…”

On the topic of raising children in the public eye, Jon cautioned the celebrity couple against it, noting that the Baldwins could choose instead to use their “massive amount of wealth” to protect their children from such scrutiny. He questioned why the couple would choose to involve their children in something that they cannot consent to, saying “You’ve got to remember, you can’t quit being famous.” It is a fair point, especially considering Alec’s history with paparazzi himself. In 2012, the famous actor gave an interview with E! News claiming that being followed by invasive “illegitimate” photographers was “ruining” his and Hilaria’s lives. He even asked the interviewer, “and what if I had a kid?” Alec has a contentious history with paparazzi over the years, often chiding them about respecting his privacy and occasionally getting physical with them when his requests are denied.

It begs the question again, with such a decidedly agitated viewpoint about how invasive the media will be once the new series premieres, why move forward with the project, especially considering it revolves around his children? An insider speaking with Us Weekly seems to have an answer. The source claims that Hilaria has been approached for several years to participate in reality TV in one form or another, noting that with so many children who have “big personalities” theirs is the “perfect situation” for reality TV. Just as the teaser the couple released on social media promised to let viewers into the Baldwin’s home to experience “the ups and downs, the good, the bad, the wild, and the crazy,” a second insider source confirmed to the magazine that the couple views the series as an opportunity to “show the world what their life is like on a day-to-day basis.” The couple’s desire to provide a look into their world might be a bid to take charge of the public narrative.

Presenting a Perfect Picture Often Backfires on Reality TV

The pitfall of reality TV is that spotting the lie is half the fun, but viewers are very alert to a cover-up and the fan base can turn toxic if they feel justifiably irritated by a reality TV series that comes across as fake. As Lisa Vanderpump, reigning queen of reality TV, recently made clear during her appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, viewers aren’t interested in what you’re doing, “they’re interested in what you’re hiding.”The actor’s public image may take a turn for the worse instead of better should viewers sense there is something hidden behind the picture-perfect facade it appears from the recent trailer the Baldwins intend to project on their new series. The amount of footage that is required to edit together an interesting reality series means there is frequent opportunity for the facade to slip, and unless you are The Kardashians, who have made faking their way through a season of reality TV an art form after nearly 20 years of experience in the genre, it can be incredibly challenging to maintain control over the way the family is portrayed.

The Housewives franchise can provide several cautionary tales about people digging into the history of reality stars who they sense are putting on an act for the camera. Brook Ayers learned this the hard way when he joined the cast of Real Housewives of Orange County as the boyfriend of Vicki Gunvalson. His rise in notoriety brought about a confidence that led to his own downfall, when he faked a cancer diagnosis in 2016. The man was so audacious that he thought he would be able to control the narrative and earn sympathy. Instead, he had a league of internet sleuths looking into his past, including Meghan King. Jen Shah from Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is another example. The diva tried to hide in plain sight while committing wire fraud in her telemarketing business, but the extra spotlight on her lavish lifestyle from reality TV certainly did not help her case when it went to trial.

Other Hollywood Celebrities Have Tried Reality TV

A prime example where a celebrity went wrong with a reality series is Sylvester Stallone in his show with his family, The Family Stallone. The series centered around the picture-perfect life that he and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, had built with their three daughters in Beverly Hills. What the series completely ignored, however, was the serious marital issues that were documented by the press prior to filming. By all accounts, including Sylvester himself, their marriage had been on the brink of divorce prior to filming, but in the series, all the viewers see is a united family, smiling and laughing together at all times, with Sylvester directing the scene. The actor even admitted in an interview with Collider that when it came time to edit, the family was present in the room at all times, to ensure no footage made it into the series without their approval. While the Stallone family paints a romantic Hollywood version of their home life, for viewers familiar with the press coverage about what their relationship had been in the weeks and months prior to filming, it comes across as inauthentic.

With his legal battle, public image to maintain, and 7 children to be featured on the series, so much is on the line for Alec and his family. Although he has the confidence of a man with 4 decades of experience on set, the star should be cautious about the pitfalls of attempting to make a Hollywood version of reality TV. When viewers of the genre, including the press, get a sense that something is being covered up or hidden, it brings out the impulse to look closer. If people are less interested in what Alec is willing to show, and more interested in what he attempts to keep hidden on camera, he and his family may have gotten more than they bargained for with their TLC series.

The Baldwins is expected to be released on TLC in 2025. The Family Stallone is available to stream on Paramount+