Alec Baldwin to make first public appearance at NYC Awards Gala after Rust shooting incident

After Alec Baldwin's first sit-down interview following the shooting incident on the sets of his movie Rust, the actor is now be making his return back to public life. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Baldwin is set to serve as master of ceremonies for NYC's Ripple of Hope Award Gala to be held on Thursday. 

The event, put on by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, will be hosted by Kerry Kennedy, with Vice President Kamala Harris delivering a virtual keynote address. Stacey Abrams, poet Amanda Gorman, Clearlake Capital Group co-founder Jose E. Feliciano, Insight Partners managing director Deven Parekh and Verizon chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg will also be honored at the gala, held at New York Hilton Midtown.

Though some participants will appear via Zoom, Baldwin is set to attend in person as the night's emcee, though he will not be participating in red carpet interviews. The Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award, now in its 53rd year, honors leaders across the international business, entertainment and activist communities who have demonstrated a commitment to social change and reflect Robert Kennedy's passion for equality, justice and basic human rights. 

Baldwin's return to public activities comes after he recently deleted one of his two verified Twitter accounts over the weekend and had an emotional conversation with ABC's George Stephanopoulos on December 2, where he talked at length about the fatal shooting on the set of his film Rust for the first time. 

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Baldwin emphasized during the ABC interview that he did not pull the trigger of the gun and did not want to wait for the lawsuits or investigations to conclude before telling his side of the story.