Alec Baldwin Says MSNBC Show May Not Return, Threatens to Quit Show Business

Just yesterday, our own Anthony Marcusa brought you the news that Alec Baldwin's MSNBC show 'Up Late' was being suspended for two weeks. This came after a video of Baldwin surfaced that allegedly depicts the actor/host using homophobic remarks against a photographer. While Baldwin initially denied the allegations, he subsequently apologized for the outburst on MSNBC's website.

'Up Late' only airs on Friday nights, meaning that Baldwin's two-week suspension was for essentially only two days. Thus, most figured that the controversy would simply blow over. Alas, with Alec Baldwin, nothing is ever that simple. Baldwin has since left a very lengthy post on his Huffington Post blog, one in which he reverts to saying that he did not in fact make the comments in question (despite his prior apology), and that he may not end up returning to MSNBC at all.

One big sticking point for Baldwin seems to be the pulling of his planned Nov. 22 episode: "Whether the show comes back at all is at issue right now. My producers and I had a very enlightening and well-researched program prepared to air on Nov. 22 itself, dealing with John Kennedy's assassination. That show is off the air now," Baldwin wrote. "I am deeply apologetic to Ron Fried, who worked extremely hard with me on that show. It's heartbreaking to me that the show, meant to coincide with the actual anniversary, will not be aired that night."

Baldwin had this to say about the prospect of 'Up Late's early demise: "The show is no doubt a work in progress and one that I believe featured some interesting guests and disseminated a good deal of interesting information. But if the show dies, its fate ends up being no different than the vast majority of start-up TV programming, and so be it."

Baldwin also took the opportunity to reiterate his previously expressed concerns about the paparazzi harassing his family, and even mentions possibly quitting show business altogether as a result: "If quitting the television business, the movie business, the theatre, any component of entertainment, is necessary in order to bring safety and peace to my family, then that is an easy decision. This country's obsession with the private lives of famous people is tragic."

MSNBC has yet to publicly respond to Baldwin's remarks, and 'Up Late' is still scheduled to return to to the airwaves on Friday, Nov. 29. Whether that actually happens obviously remains to be seen.