Alec Baldwin: I Was Suicidal When Harsh Voicemail to Daughter Surfaced

“30 Rock” star Alec Baldwin says he was suicidal after a private telephone message where he can be heard calling his young daughter a “rude little pig” was released to the public.

In an interview with the July issue of Playboy magazine, the actor said he sought professional help to save his life.

“[I was] very serious … I spoke to a lot of professionals, who helped me … If I committed suicide, they [Kim Basinger’s team] would have considered that a victory. Destroying me was their avowed goal.”

Baldwin added that the situation not only nearly drove him to quit his hit NBC show, but also avoid certain gossip sites and talk shows, like the "Today Show."

“…When that voice-mail tape thing happened, Matt Lauer interviewed [Harvey] Levin [of TMZ] before he even called me. Lauer put Levin on Today, and they never phoned me … I saw that and said, ‘My relationship with the Today show is over.’ I’ll never do Today again, ever. Life’s too short.”

Instead, he went on “The View” because he trusted his friend Whoopi Goldberg to give him “a fair shake.”

“Whoopi is an impeccably decent person, and I am grateful she gave me a forum,” he said.

Still, Baldwin says the difficult time did not sour his opinion on domestic bliss:

“I have this silly fantasy. I get married again, I have a kid … My kid’s like eight, comes home and says, ‘Dad, Jimmy’s mom says you were a famous actor on TV and in the movies. Is that true?’ And I go, “Yes, Johnny, Dad was famous.’ I whip out my scrapbooks and my DVDs and say, ‘Believe it or not, that’s your dad.’ And my kid’s like, ‘You used to be on TV and everything? And now you stay home and just clean the house all day while Mom works?’ ‘That’s right, son.’ It’s a dream, that the kid doesn’t know anything about that part of my life. Our normal life is uncontaminated by it.”