New York magazine may seem like an unusual channel for a diatribe against New York media, but that’s where Alec Baldwin chose to announce he “just can't live in New York anymore,” pinning his troubles on the city’s tabloid culture.

“I loathe and despise the media in a way I did not think possible,” writes Baldwin, whose rocky relationship with the press went even further downhill recently when a TMZ videographer accused him—falsely, he maintains—of using a homophobic slur.

“Everything I hated about L.A. I’m beginning to crave,” he goes on. “L.A. is a place where you live behind a gate, you get in a car, your interaction with the public is minimal.”

Baldwin is hardly the first celebrity to complain about prying paparazzi—and  paparazzi don’t, in general, evoke a lot of sympathy. (Chasing Baldwin out of New York would fall pretty low on the list of crimes they’ve been implicated in.) But how do the paps see themselves? For a 2011 paper in the journal Visual Communication Quarterly, Ray Murray of Oklahoma State University carried out interviews with 12 professional paparazzi in New York and L.A., all of whom had been full-time paparazzi for 10 to 20 years.

Paparazzi don’t think they’re doing anything wrong

One theme emerging from Murray’s interviews is that the paparazzi believe their relationship with celebrities is symbiotic, not parasitic. “Without the paparazzi attention, several paparazzi said, the celebrities could suddenly lose their prominence or have their careers fade….Because they say they help celebrities become famous and stay famous, several paparazzi stay the constant battle between celebrities and paparazzi befuddles them.”

For instance:

I think we’re necessary. They love to hate us, but they love us.

They know the more they’re in the magazines the more they get endorsements.…We’re actually making them more money.

Being a paparazzo is becoming more competitive

Giles Harrison, a paparazzo for 13 years, said he had several photos sell in early 2007 for $10,000 to $50,000.…In the past few years, prices have plummeted as the Los Angeles area became saturated with paparazzi…. The pressure on paparazzi to produce one-of-a-kind shots has risen and the possibility of taking such photographs has diminished greatly because of the ten-fold increase in paparazzi, who are commonly found in groups of 15 or 20.

L.A. has nearly 4 times as many paparazzi as NY

Baldwin says he expects more privacy in L.A.—but the paparazzi interviewed in Murray’s paper estimated, in 2011, that there were around 300 full-time paparazzi on the streets of L.A., compared to about 80 in New York.

Professional paparazzi may have higher ethical standards than part-timers

The paparazzi unanimously said the profession has changed dramatically in the past five years or so, with more aggressive, untrained photographers pursuing celebrities, sometimes in chases at high speeds and through red lights. This has changed the industry dramatically and caused confrontations with celebrities. No paparazzi interviewed condoned this action….Harrison said the lack of training among new paparazzi has irreparably damaged the business. He said being a paparazzo is about telling a story, not submitting only photographs, and too many paparazzi worry only about getting a photograph and not the surrounding story that makes it more valuable.

Alec Baldwin recently announced that he would be leaving public life. And then he tweeted photos of his wife doing yoga. Photograph: Picture Perfect/Rex Features

It seems that we owe Alec Baldwin an apology. By "we" I mean the general public or at least those of us who fall into one or more of the following categories – professional photographers; amateur photographers; anyone who owns a smartphone (and uses it to take photographs); airline attendants who order people who own smart phones to turn them off before take-off; New Yorkers; gay people who are offended by gay slurs; straight people who are offended by gay slurs; Shia LaBeouf; the media in general; MSNBC, in particular, and fans who fail to maintain a respectful five foot distance from the famous person on whom they wish to lavish praise.

It seems that because of our collective failure to treat him with due deference, Alec Baldwin feels he has no choice but to give up on public life. If only the misunderstood media star would engage in a little private introspection, this self-imposed estrangement might not be necessary.

2013 should have been another great year for Baldwin. In addition to turning in a praiseworthy performance in an Oscar-nominated movie, (Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine), and getting his own talk show on MSNBC, his lovely new wife had a lovely new baby. But instead, as Baldwin recounts in a 5,000 word "mea not culpa" style essay in this week's New York Magazine, the year became his Annus Horribilus.

He lost his TV show and his lust for show business (or at least some aspects of it) after being unfairly labeled a homophobe and a hothead. The essay was intended (I assume) to vindicate the actor on both counts, (as well as to alert the public of his decision to leave us for failing to please him.) But he would have been better advised to stick to the 140 character Twitter format he has used to air his grievances in the past, as the lengthy essay only reinforces the actor's image as an over-privileged and tone deaf hothead with a persecution complex.

For instance, Baldwin's attempt to show how down he is with the LGBT community got off to a shaky start when he opened by referring to one of his "advisors" in that community as a "M to F Tranny." Nor is he likely to have gained any favor by challenging the integrity of prominent gay individuals like MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, (who he claimed was "phony" in real life even though she says the pair have never met) or by insulting CNN's Anderson Cooper or The Dish's Andrew Sullivan or TMZ's Harvey Levin, whom Baldwin has collectively referred to in the past as the "fundamentalist wing of gay advocacy" when they objected to his threatening a gay British journalist with violence and calling him a "toxic little queen".

Baldwin claims that he didn't know this term was offensive to gay people and later apologized. He did the same a few months later when he called a photographer a "cock-sucking fathead" (or more likely "cock-sucking faggot" –you decide). Still, while a tendency to put one's foot in one's mouth does not necessarily a homophobe make, expressing a desire to stick one's foot up someone else's ass is another matter.

For anyone unfamiliar with the "toxic little queen" incident, it all started when the aforementioned British journalist, George Stark, falsely asserted that Baldwin's wife, Hilaria, had tweeted during James Gandolfini's funeral. By way of response, Baldwin sent Stark a series of tweets threatening to find him, fuck him up and this nugget:

If [sic] put my foot up your fucking ass, George Stark, but I'm sure you'd dig it too much.

In his essay, Baldwin apologizes for calling Stark a "toxic little queen" and claims he didn't realize at the time that it was a homophobic statement. He doesn't mention the bit about wanting to put his foot up his ass, however, and even re-invokes the violent threats by writing that "If he was in New York, I might had had the impulse to beat the shit out of the guy." Whatever this attempt at vindication may or may not do to mitigate Baldwin's reputation as a homophobe, it can only reinforce his reputation as a violent hothead.

All very noble, I suppose and, in the actor's defense, some of the photographers who hang around outside his apartment building do seem to get a kick out of goading him. But Baldwin should have learned by now that if you assault a photographer in the morning, rather than deterring paparazzi activity, it's far more likely that by the afternoon there will be a swarm of media on his doorstep hoping to photograph further assaults.The actor's proclivity for violence is not comprised solely of idle threats. In a recent interview on the Late Show with David Letterman, the host tentatively raised the delicate issue of Baldwin's rather tense relations with members of the paparazzi whom he has been photographed assaulting on many occasions. "What is the cycle,"Letterman asked, "that I pick up the paper and see you strangling a photographer?" Baldwin jovially responded that it does seem like it's "almost daily" and proceeded to justify the assaults as a necessary means of protecting his wife and child.

Anyway, pretty soon, the paparazzi of New York will have to find another celebrity to beat them up since Baldwin has publicly declared his decision to leave public life. Unfortunately, as is often the case with such declarations, (Baldwin's nemesis Shia LaBeouf's omnipresence in the media since he announced his retirement being a case in point), they rarely stick. As Salon reported, less than a day after pronouncing his desire to shield his family from prying media eyes, Baldwin was tweeting photos of his wife doing yoga. So we're not off to a good start, but at least the actor has acknowledged that he has some problems.

Now if he could only realize that he is the instigator and not merely the victim of most of his problems, we'd all be better off.

With our wild, wacky 2016 presidential race, it's reassuring that we have the sage statesman Alec Baldwin to offer direction on which of the growing pack of contenders has the best shot at one day leading our nation.

And here's some tough news for fans of the obnoxious, attention-hogging candidate from NYC with the horrendous hair: Baldwin told the New York Daily News that he doesn't see Donald Trump as a likely general election candidate.

But he likes Kanye West's chances in 2020.

Baldwin, who also does some acting in TV and movies when he's not swatting away rumors that he, too, has political aspirations, was at the 15th Annual Opening Night celebration of the U.S. Open. He told the Daily News' Confidenti@l column that politics, like tennis, is a game where anything is possible.



Our next president? Actor Alec Baldwin thinks Kanye West would be an exciting candidate. Kanye West announced his interest in running for the White House as he accepted the video vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) ( Matt Sayles )

While Baldwin expects that four or five of the current GOP contenders will probably drop out, he doubts voters will offer their support to Trump, who is currently leading in the polls.

"I think he's only gonna' go down and someone else is only gonna go up," Baldwin said. "And something tells me that in direct relationship to Trump's comments about Hispanic Americans that Rubio might be the beneficiary from it."

While Baldwin is not enthusiastic about Trump as a presidential candidate, he's intrigued by West's announcement at the MTV VMA's Sunday that he would seek the presidency in 2020.

"Brilliant!" the "30 Rock" star said of the entertainer and husband of reality star Kim Kardashian.

They are only a few weeks away from welcoming their second child.

And it seems Hilaria, 31, and Alec Baldwin, 57, couldn't be more thrilled to be adding to their close-knit clan, as they certainly weren't shy of showing their love on Tuesday.

The affectionate pair were caught sharing a tender moment, as they took their first born, 21-month-old daughter Carmen, out for a stroll at Washington Square Park in New York City.

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Doting duo: Alec Baldwin shared a sweet moment with his wife Hilaria as they took their daughter Carmen out for a stroll in Washington Square Park in New York City on Tuesday

The 30 Rock star appeared to be planting a kiss on the back of his wife's head while sweetly squeezing her sides.

Hilaria smiled, relishing the moment while pushing their daughter in her pink toy car.

The expecting star, who is 7.5 months pregnant proudly showed off her burgeoning belly in a clinging sleeveless blue shirt which she teamed with cropped black leggings and flip flops.



Big girl: Carmen appeared to be having a grand time while steering her toy car



Hamming it up: The little girl appeared to be waving to onlookers, as Alec flashed a warm smile

Alec dressed down in a slate grey shirt and black trousers which he teamed with black dress shoes.

Carmen looked as cute as ever in a light grey shirt, bright pink shorts and matching pink shoes.

She also had on a white sun hat and was prepared with a Hello Kitty sippy cup by her side.



Helping hands: The comedian was spotted holding onto a Hello Kitty cup while his daughter took sips



Spring chic: Carmen looked adorable in a floppy white hat and grey shirt

During the outing, Hilaria and Alec were are spotted having an intimate chat, and Carmen took turns walking and riding in her play car.

Hilaria took a moment to bask in her motherhood while sharing a side-by-snap picture on social media, showing herself pregnant with her first born and baby-to-be.

'7.5 months with each of my babies #BaldwinBabyBump,' she captioned the social media image.



Getting there! The expecting fitness guru showed off her growing belly in a tight blue shirt



Planning? The couple appeared to be coordinating their schedules with their cell phones out

To the right, the TV host was wearing a fitted red maxi dress while holding her little girl's hands.

To the left, Hilaria was clad in a tight black blouse and matching leggings while pregnant with her first born.

The star is getting so close to her due date that it may be affecting her yoga teaching schedule, as she shared a throwback snap while revealing that she won't be teaching her regular class Wednesday evincing.



Expanding brood: Alec and Hilaria wed in 2012 and welcomed Carmen in 2013

His daughter Ireland checked into rehab over the weekend.

So it was no wonder Alec Baldwin looked downcast while out New York on Tuesday morning.

The 57-year-old actor was spotted leaving his apartment in the Big Apple on a solo outing.

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Tough times: Alec Baldwin looked downtrodden while leaving his New York City apartment on Tuesday






The 30 Rock star was dressed casually during the morning outing as he sported a navy blue jacket over a grey top, grey trousers and black leather loafers.






Alec had his greying locks combed in a side part as he sported scruff on his face that was considerably grizzled.






The husband of Hilaria Baldwin was also spotted out on the same day while dressed comfortably as he wore a black track jacket over a blue top, navy blue shorts and high white socks along with grey and blue running shoes.



Not a happy camper: The 57-year-old actor strolled around in the Big Apple wearing a navy blue jacket over a grey T-shirt. grey trousers and black leather loafers

On Monday, his 19-year-old daughter with ex-wife Kim Basinger tweeted from inside the drug and alcohol treatment centre in Malibu, SOBA Recovery Center, that she had checker herself in to 'deal with some emotional trauma.'

Ireland confirmed internet reports she had checked in - but appeared to scoff at the reports she had been admitted against her will because of her frivolous lifestyle - when she tweeted '"Intensive partying" haha'.

'Apparently I'm in rehab for intensive partying soooo I'm just going to lay pretty low for a bit and maybe get some frozen yogurt,' she wrote sarcastically, before revealing the real reason she had admitted herself.



Relaxed: The 30 Rock star slipped into something a bit more comfortable on the same day





Comfortable customer: He wore a black track jacket over a blue top, navy shorts, and grey and blue running shoes

'I checked myself into Soba for two weeks to just get away for a little bit. I'm not much a party cat but I am here deal with some emotional trauma and getting the intensive therapy I needed in order to recover.

'Someday I'll feel ready to share my story openly without feeling the way I do. Right now I just needed a breather,' she wrote.

'I needed a chance to work on myself and gather all the tools I need to overcome everything that I had been through and rid myself of all the pain I locked away in unreachable places.'



Troubled: Alec's 19-year-old daughter Ireland checked herself into rehab over the weekend, as they were pictured together at the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in September 2012

Ireland has been in an on-again off-again relationship with rapper girlfriend Angel Haze for around a year.

The teenager has had a rocky relationship with her father, which stretches back to her parents messy divorce.

In 2007 he infamously left her a voicemail calling her a 'rude, thoughtless little pig' when she was just 11-years-old, after not being able to contact her over the phone.