Selma Blair pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault during an appearance in Queens, New York, court Monday evening, less than 24 hours after the actress was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport for an alleged violent outburst on a Delta flight that injured two flight attendants and sent one to the hospital. Blair is also expected to face separate charges from the FBI, as the agency is responsible for investigating all assaults on airplanes.
Judge Indira Khan set Blair’s bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 surety, and the actress was released after posting bail following her arraignment, according to the Associated Press. New details emerged Monday evening about what allegedly happened aboard the flight and afterward when Blair was detained at JFK and transported to a local hospital.
When news of the incident aboard Delta Flight 938 from Los Angeles broke, it was reported that Blair allegedly assaulted Delta flight attendants by hitting one and biting another. She also allegedly attempted to open the plane’s door at one point during the flight. The New York Port Authority Police Department confirmed The Hollywood Reporter On Monday, Blair was arrested at the door and taken to the hospital for evaluation on Sunday.
It was revealed in the charging documents, detailed by AP, that a police officer transporting her to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center reported that Blair removed one leg from the straps to repeatedly kick her “around the face, neck and chest, causing severe pain and significant swelling.” Then, Blair also allegedly kicked a nurse in the chest, a blow which also caused “significant pain.”
Blair was represented at Monday evening’s hearing by attorneys Shawn Barnes and Joshua Reitzas. Khan set his next hearing for January 19, 2027, and also reportedly granted a protection order to the nurse Blair allegedly assaulted while receiving treatment. It was an emotional and at times tense scene in the courtroom according to video that surfaced during the hearing. At one point, Blair cried, tears streaming down her face, and her lawyer Reitzas decided to wipe them from her face as Blair remained handcuffed during the proceedings.
As reported The New York PostBarnes said his client had missed taking medications that help manage her multiple sclerosis and had worked “long hours and exhaustive hours” before the flight. At one point during the flight, she also hit her head on an embankment head – an injury also reported by the pilot when he called for reinforcements at the gate – which played a role. “These factors, coupled with the altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation,” Barnes told the court.
Meanwhile, Reitzas asked the court to show leniency by highlighting his career and advocacy work.
“Consider all of her work and what she did for people,” Reitzas told the judge. “She’s someone we should look up to. She’s the benchmark.” Judge Kahn responded, according to the message: “Ms Blair should not get special treatment because she is a celebrity.”
Meanwhile, a Delta representative denounced the situation in a statement saying the airline “has zero tolerance for unruly or illegal behavior because the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.”
This isn’t Blair’s first incident on board a flight. In June 2016, Blair, who was returning to Los Angeles after a vacation in Cancun, Mexico, began screaming uncontrollably and causing chaos during the flight. Two nurses on board helped subdue the actress, who was then taken to hospital for evaluation. As reported at the time THRBlair apologized and claimed she passed out after mixing prescription drugs and alcohol.
“I made a big mistake yesterday. After a wonderful trip with my son and his father, I mixed alcohol with medication, which caused me to pass out and lead me to say and do things that I deeply regret,” Blair said in a statement. “My son was sleeping with his father with his headphones on, so there is that saving grace. I take this very seriously and I apologize to all the passengers and crew that I inconvenienced and I am grateful to everyone who helped me afterwards. I am an imperfect human being who makes mistakes and I am filled with shame because of this incident. I am truly, truly sorry.”
She also has a history of biting people, notably celebrities. As she revealed in her memoir, Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing UpBlair has managed to sink her teeth into Sienna Miller, Seth MacFarlane and Kate Moss. She blamed these incidents on social anxiety or awkwardness, writing that her system is “overwhelmed and short-circuited instantly,” adding, “Social interactions have been heavy.”
Sunday’s incident comes just days after Blair gave a revealing speech at the Jewish Museum in New York during the Anti-Defamation League’s State of the Arts reception. She detailed the extent of the fallout to her career following anti-extremist comments she made on Instagram.
“The brands I worked with disappeared in a day. A few partnerships I had spent years building were shelved. My agency is gone. My lawyer is gone. My publicist is gone. My publishing agent is gone. My book publicist is gone. My social media manager is gone. My son’s godmother is gone – my best friend. While some friends in the industry were quietly supportive of me, most of them were gone. And of course, my manager, my supposed friend from 30 years old and Jewish, was gone plus I still don’t know what any of them were thinking No one answered my calls,” Blair explained of the February 2024 incident.
The actress is best known for her work in Cruel Intentions, Hellboy, Legally Blonde And The sweetest thing. However, it is unclear what project she was working on in the days leading up to the theft. THR had just announced that she had been cast in the Bridget Stokes and Theresa Burkhart Gallagher film. Schmoolie the Death Watchera mystical coming-of-age adventure, starring Isaac Krasner as the title character, Luenell, Ariel Martin, David Mazouz and Sania Halifa.
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