Stephen Baldwin claims he was sacked from romcom for being ‘funnier than Jennifer Aniston’

EntertainmentMovie
18 Jun 2026 • 6:53 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Stephen Baldwin claims he was sacked from romcom for being ‘funnier than Jennifer Aniston’

  • Stephen Baldwin has finally addressed his dismissal from the 1998 romcom The Object of My Affection, claiming it was due to him being "funnier" than co-star Jennifer Aniston.
  • Baldwin, originally cast as Vince McBride, told TJ Miller on his podcastOne Bad Move with Stephen Baldwin: “After lunch, this producer comes to my trailer and goes, ‘There’s a problem. You can’t be funnier than Jennifer.’”
  • Miller, who has worked alongside Aniston, said the comment probably didn’t come from her as she is “really funny”. Baldwin then continued: “I don’t know. This isn’t to shred anybody. This is just simply to say ‘Hollywood is Hollywood’.”
  • John Pankow subsequently took over Baldwin's role in the film, which also starred Paul Rudd.
  • Since his last blockbuster in 2000, Baldwin has primarily taken roles in direct-to-video films and faith-based dramas, and appeared on various reality television shows.

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