AceShowbiz - Hilaria Baldwin addressed controversy surrounding her heritage after she was accused of faking her accent. On the March 16 episode of TLC's "The Baldwins", she opened up about learning the art of "code-switching" and coping with trolls.

"Growing up in a way where you have multiple cultural influences on you means that you are never going to be able to fit in. You can try - you can chameleon," Hilaria explained to her daughter Carmen's friend. "People who code switch, we are very good at being a chameleon. You are not even thinking about it because it is just normal [to you]."

"It is a real thing," the yoga instructor who's married to Alec Baldwin added, before referring to the backlash she received because of her accent, "I had to learn about it because the whole world was mean to me."

Code-switching refers to the practice of changing one's language, accent, or behavior to fit different social norms. Hilaria emphasized that it is a natural response to blending into diverse cultural environments.

"They say that it's like communication, if you ever talk to a really old person who cannot hear, and I'm gonna emphasize, I'm gonna speak slower," she added, explaining the unconscious adaptation in social situations.

In December 2020, Hilaria faced backlash when social media users accused her of fabricating her Spanish roots, highlighting that she was born Hilary in Boston, Massachusetts.

In response, she released a video and wrote on Instagram, "I was born in Boston and grew up spending time with my family between Massachusetts and Spain. My parents and sibling live in Spain and I chose to live here, in the U.S.A."

Reflecting on the ordeal, Hilaria shared, "I'd be lying if I said [the controversy] didn't make me sad and it didn't hurt and it didn't put me in dark places."

However, she found solace in her family and community, who share her experience of living between multiple cultures. "It was my family, my friends, my community who speak multiple languages, who have belonged in multiple places and realize that we are a mix of all these different things."

Hilaria emphasized that her dual heritage does not make her inauthentic. Despite the controversy, she is committed to raising her children bilingually and instilling pride in their diverse backgrounds. "I'm raising my kids to be bilingual, I was raised bilingual," she noted.

Viewers can follow more of Hilaria's journey and insights on "The Baldwins", airing Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.