‘The Arrogance & Audacity is Astonishin’: D.L. Hughley and Fans Slams Alec Baldwin After Actor Criticizes Former NFL Player’s Altercation with United Airlines Employee

The Arrogance & Audacity is Astonishin?: D.L. Hughley and Fans Slams Alec Baldwin After Actor Criticizes Former NFL Player's Altercation with United Airlines Employee
(L) D.L. Hughley and Alec Baldwin (R). Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images, Bruce Glikas/WireImage

A video went viral earlier this week, showing former Cincinnati Broncos receiver Brendan Langley involved in a bloody altercation with a United Airlines employee at Newark Airport in New Jersey. As many began weighing in on the situation, comedian DL Hughley cautioned some.

Everyone on social media has been chiming in on the situation as all viral things go, including Emmy Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin. He took to his online platform in defense of the airline staff. “The guy working at the airport is the victim,” the 64-year-old star wrote. 

“He came to work to do a job. The other guy, with his big mouth, is guilty of work place abuse, where people come to work with an expectation of safety, even civility. The a–hole who hit this guy should be put on a no fly list.”

Many critics online,  including Hughley, felt the Academy Award-nominated actor’s remarks were satirical, considering he is at the center of his high-profile controversy. The 59-year-old veteran funnyman slammed the actor, writing, “Says the guy who shot and killed someone who was just coming to work!” with a few hashtags including  #IronicMuch #SitThisOneOutAl.”

On October 21, 2021, the Bonanza City, New Mexico, film set of the since suspended western film, “Rust,” turned fatal deadly after a shooting incident left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and director Joel Souza injured when a live round was discharged from a revolver used as a prop by the actor. 

A criminal investigation is ongoing, and no one involved in the movie has been cleared. There are also civil suits pending, TMZ reported. 

Several people in the comment section appeared to agree with the comedian’s sentiments, including one user who wrote, “another dumb moment for a Baldwin. He better pack a bag for prison.” Another person commented, “hat’s entitlement, privilege, and a heaping scoop of narcissism speaking..#listenup #believepeoplethefirsttime”

“*Sigh*…If it were me, & I accidentally killed someone on set, I would just not comment on issues like this. The arrogance & audacity is astonishin’ smh,” wrote a third critic. “He’s in legal trouble for shooting two people on the job why is he commenting on this needs a new publishes.”

The 27-year-old was ultimately arrested and is facing simple charges, while the unidentified man in the clip was hospitalized and later terminated.  

In one clip circling the internet, the United employee does appear to make the first physical contact with Langley, slapping the young man. Langley then punched the staff member repeatedly until he stumbled to the ground. What looked to be blood was seen dripping from the side of his head as he tried to confront the athlete again. Longer clips of the same incident show the two men already had been brawling before Langley dropped his guard and was slapped.

The incident reportedly started after the employee asked Langley to give up a wheelchair Langley had been using to push his luggage through the airport.

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top