Former Fox News correspondent Rick Leventhal has defended his decision to dress up as Alec Baldwin from the movie Rust for Halloween after the actor was involved in a fatal on-set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Leventhal and his Real Housewives of Orange County star wife Kelly Dodd - who also drew outrage for dressing as a Native American - shared unapologetic images of their Halloween get-ups on social media.
"Kelly celebrated her Native American heritage and I celebrated the great American film actor Alec Baldwin," Leventhal captioned his Instagram post, in which he and his wife both brandished guns as they posed.
"In no way was I trying to offend anyone, except Alec Baldwin," Leventhal told Page Six in a statement.
"He's a jerk and deserves all the heat he's getting."
Baldwin accidentally killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza when a firearm he was rehearsing with reportedly discharged with a live bullet, despite the actor having been told it was a 'cold gun'. An investigation into the incident is ongoing and gun control activist Baldwin has spoken publicly of his "heartbreak" over the tragedy.
"If we analysed every costume for who might be offended by it, there would be no Halloween anymore," Leventhal said.
"Of course I feel bad for the victim and her family, but this was never about her or them. If Baldwin is anti-gun, why is he waving them around in movies and pointing them at people and pulling the trigger? Focus your anger on him and the hypocrisy of that industry."
Meanwhile, Dodd, who previously announced she learned via a home DNA test that she was 30 percent Native American, told Page Six "people are way too sensitive".
"I embrace my Native American heritage. I think the fashion is beautiful, and this was a tribute and celebration," she said.
Dodd and Leventhal were condemned online for their costume choices, with social media users dubbing them "sick", "bad taste" and "messed up on so many levels".
"I always defend you both, but it's hard to find dressing up as Alec funny when a young woman's life was cut short and a young boy is now without his mum," one person wrote on Instagram.
"Pathetic you have to attach Alec Baldwin to this," another person wrote. "A horrific thing happened on set and you think Halloween is the time to display such disrespect."
"You two have no class, you're perfect for each other," wrote a third.
