Hilaria Baldwin denied being a ânepoâ wife and insisted she got cast on âDancing with the Starsâ without her husband Alec Baldwinâs help.
âIf he ever made a call, that would make things easier on me, I would feel like I didnât deserve it,â she said on Tuesdayâs episode of the âNot Skinny But Not Fatâ podcast.
âIâm a hard worker. I want to earn things on my own merit. I think especially because anybody who marries a celebrity is going to be accused of being âŠâ
âA nepo wife,â host Amanda Hirsch chimed in, to which Hilaria, 41, agreed.



âRight. It makes you feel like you donât earn things, which is just a horrible feeling. Especially as a Capricorn, a horrible feeling,â the 41-year-old added.
Hilaria went on to point out that âone of the things that drives Alec crazyâ about her is how âindependentâ she is, even with simple things like opening the door for herself.
Even so, âHeâs very proud, heâs very supportive,â she continued. âAlec is always extraordinarily supportive of me with working.â
In fact, the âRustâ actor is so supportive that he encouraged her to join the Season 34 cast, as he had been wanting her to be on âDWTSâ for a âvery long time.



She revealed some hesitancy, though, as she felt that ânobody was going to want to have [her] there.â
However, she had a change of heart when production approached her and people were âmanifesting it for her onlineâ when she posted dance videos on social media.
Once she was chosen for Season 34, the â30 Rockâ alum had his âI told you soâ moment.
âBut I am happy that it happened in the way that it happened,â she said. âIt was so organic.â


The âGrowing Up Togetherâ podcast host also spoke about the backlash she has been receiving for having previous ballroom dance experience.
âApparently, that happens every single year. So when it started happening again, my biggest fear was doing this and people being like, âYou donât belong here.â And Iâm like, âI just want to dance and Iâll work hard.’â
She also revealed her bond with co-star and âSecret Lives of Mormon Wivesâ star Whitney Leavitt, who received similar backlash for her extensive dance background.
For the most part, though, she tries to âignoreâ the hate and focus on the âpositivity.â


Last month, Hilaria exclusively told Page Six how the ABC show has been âhealingâ for her family after a âhardâ few years.
She said, âI think [thereâs] a lot of guilt as a mother of taking a moment for yourself. Other mothers who had children, who were older than me and more experienced, would like be like, âYeah, you totally need âme timeâ to be a better mom.â And this is one of the first things Iâve ever done that is âme time,â truly.â
Hilaria and Alec got married in 2012 and share seven children: Carmen, 12, Rafael, 10, Leonardo, 9, Romeo, 6, Eduardo, 5, MarĂa, also 5, and Ilaria, 3.


