Stephen Baldwin Claims He Was Fired From Movie for Being 'Funnier' Than Jennifer Aniston

Stephen Baldwin is opening up about a moment from his early career that still sticks with him decades later.

The 60-year-old actor recently recalled being unexpectedly let go from the 1998 romantic comedy The Object of My Affection, after a producer allegedly felt his performance was overshadowing his costar, Jennifer Aniston. Baldwin explained that things initially looked normal when he joined the project, where he was cast as a supportive, comedic presence alongside Aniston.

“I was doing a movie with Jenny Aniston back in the day … It was when I was really young, coming up. I had been doing a few things. Before Usual Suspects and all that b------- The Object of My Affection. I went in and I auditioned to play like the sidekick, kind of almost boyfriend of Jennifer Aniston,” Baldwin said on the June 14 episode of his “One Bad Movie” podcast.

At first, he said everything on set felt fine until an unexpected conversation changed the tone completely.

After a couple of days of filming, Baldwin said he was pulled aside by a producer who delivered a surprising concern about his performance.

“And I’ve never told this story before. So, I get there and I’m me and Jennifer’s cute and whatever and I got a girl and I’m good. So, I’m just there to be me. But after like, I think it was the second day of shooting, after lunch, this producer comes to my trailer and goes, ‘There’s a problem.’ I go, ‘What’s up?’ He goes, ‘You can’t be funnier than Jennifer,’” he recalled.

He responded at the time, “‘Is this a joke? This is a comedy movie! Am I about to get punked? What do you even mean by that?'”

The actor admitted this wasn’t the first time he had been removed from a project, but said this situation felt different because of how it unfolded.

“They didn't say it's not working first,” he explained. “They just went, ‘There's a problem. Can you just say the words [and] use your instinct for your responses that you've come up with?’ And I'm now like, ‘You've just mauled my face like a f------ wolverine asking me to just numb myself.’”

Baldwin, who shares daughters Alaia Baldwin, 33, and Hailey Bieber, 29, with wife Kennya Baldwin, said the experience left him feeling completely off balance.

“So I go back to the set after lunch, right? Castrated comedically, right?” Stephen went on. “I was wondering was it really about my good looks? Was I fat? Well, you know, I was freaking out. So, I get back in there and I try not to be me.”

Despite his efforts to adjust, Stephen said the situation didn’t improve. Ultimately, he was let go from the project, which he described as an uncomfortable but final decision.

“I get back in there and I try not to be me,” he said. “They let me go. They told me I could go home and that was all cool. But that's just awkward.”

Stephen was later replaced by Paul Rudd in the film.

Reflecting on the experience, Stephen said he doesn’t point fingers at any one person involved in the decision.

“This isn't to shred anybody,” he concluded. “This is just to simply say Hollywood is Hollywood.”

Directed by Nicholas Hytner, The Object of My Affection followed Nina (Jennifer), a pregnant social worker who forms an unconventional bond with her gay roommate George (Paul).

Their unique arrangement evolves into a complicated chosen family dynamic, testing boundaries around love, relationships and identity as their lives continue to intertwine.