Woman who uncovered Hilaria Baldwin’s heritage wants to remain anonymous because she is scared of Alec Baldwin

The woman who initially accused Hilaria Baldwin of faking her Spanish heritage has said she wants to stay anonymous because she is afraid that Alec Baldwin will “punch” her.

Last week, the woman, who goes by the name @Lenibriscoe on Twitter, sparked what became an internet investigation into Ms Baldwin’s identity when she tweeted: “You have to admire Hilaria Baldwin’s commitment to her decade long grift where she impersonates a Spanish person.”

In subsequent posts, the woman questioned why the yoga instructor, who is married to the It’s Complicated actor, had previously implied that she was born in Spain, when she was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and why she occasionally spoke with a Spanish accent despite her first language being English.

The inquiry prompted subsequent examinations into Ms Baldwin’s background by other social media users, with the 36-year-old responding to the theories in an Instagram video, in which she confirmed that she grew up in the United States.

Despite addressing the claims, the story continued to attract headlines, with Mr Baldwin and his daughter Ireland both speaking out in defense of Ms Baldwin.

As for her role in the saga, the woman who tweeted about Ms Baldwin’s background has continued to keep up to date with developments on Twitter - but told The New York Times that she wishes to keep her identity unknown because she is scared of retaliation from Mr Baldwin.

Speaking with the outlet for an interview with Ms Baldwin about the controversy, the woman said that she initially raised the topic to distract from the boredom of quarantine - and because Ms Baldwin’s background was already an “open secret” in New York.

“We’re all bored and it’s just seemed so strange to me that no one had ever come out and said it, especially for someone who gets so much media attention,” she explained, with The Times adding that she was “granted anonymity” over fears regarding Mr Baldwin’s past.

She “was granted anonymity by The New York Times because she said she was scared that Mr Baldwin, who agreed to take an anger management course in 2019 in order to dispose of charges after a fight with a man over a parking spot and has been arrested, escorted from a plane and suspended from a job as an MSNBC host, all in the last decade, would punch her,” the outlet wrote.

The actor participated in a one-day anger management course in 2019 as part of a plea agreement after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor attempted assault and harassment stemming from a confrontation over a New York City parking spot.

Following his completion of the course, he told Howard Stern that he learned he’s “not that angry”.

“When you go to anger management, you realise you’re not that angry,” he said.

The 62-year-old’s volatile temperament was previously reported in 2007, when a voicemail to his daughter in which he called her a “rude, thoughtless little pig” was leaked, in 2011, when he was kicked off an American Airlines flight after refusing to turn off his iPad, and in 2013, when he was photographed pinning freelance photographer Paul Adao to the hood of a car in New York City.

While the SNL star has not directly addressed the woman who initiated the story about the authenticity of his wife’s background, he has responded to other critics.

One exchange on Instagram, which saw a commenter broach the topic of Ms Baldwin’s heritage, prompted a response of “go f*** yourself” from the actor.

The Independent has contacted Alec Baldwin’s representative and @Lenibriscoe for comment.