Selma Blair has issued a public apology for an in-flight incident aboard a Delta flight earlier this month that resulted in her arrest and assault charges.
The 54-year-old Cruel Intentions star posted a lengthy apology video to Instagram on Friday afternoon, nearly three weeks after the October 11 incident. In the video, she said she “never intended to hurt or frighten anyone.”
“To the people I disappointed, that I hurt, that I frightened or alarmed, I am so sorry,” Blair said, looking directly into the camera from her living room.
Blair has been accused of punching and biting crew members aboard a flight traveling from Los Angeles to New York, as well as attempting to open an aircraft door during the flight.
She has pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault related to allegations that she kicked a Port Authority Police Department officer. She is also accused of kicking a hospital nurse.
Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, said the actress was exhausted and had missed several doses of medication prescribed to manage her multiple sclerosis before the incident.
The 54-year-old Cruel Intentions star shared a lengthy apology video on Instagram nearly three weeks after the October 11 incident, saying she “never intended to hurt or frighten anyone.”
Dressed in slacks and a pale blue button-down shirt, Blair opened the nearly two-minute Instagram video by acknowledging that she had remained silent for several weeks.
“I know I’ve been quiet for a couple of weeks, and you deserve to hear from me. I’m sorry it’s taken this long,” she said.
She explained that she could not discuss the events aboard the plane in detail because the case is still pending in court.
“There is a legal matter going on, and my lawyers have asked me not to say anything about that day [of the arrest],” she said. “I’m listening to them, and I take this very seriously. What I can tell you, though, is very simple and the truth: not one day have I ever intended to hurt or frighten anyone.”
After offering her apology, the Legally Blonde star thanked those who had reached out with messages of support.
“To the people who have written, called, and sent wishes of love or caring, it has meant everything to me and my son, who is my world,” she said.
Blair, who shares 15-year-old Arthur with her former partner Jason Bleick, added that she would now focus on her health and her son.
“Right now, I am going to be taking care of my health and my son, and thinking of you all with gratitude and love,” she said.
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The recent incident is not the first time Blair’s behavior aboard an airplane has drawn public attention.
In 2016, she experienced what she described as a “psychotic blackout” on a Delta flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Los Angeles after combining wine with a prescription medication.
According to reports at the time, nurses treated Blair before she was eventually taken from Los Angeles International Airport on a stretcher.
She was not arrested over that episode but later apologized for her behavior, saying: “I am a flawed human being who makes mistakes and am filled with shame over this incident. I am truly very sorry.”
Blair, pictured in court in New York on Monday, October 12, pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault and was released on bail.
Blair’s attorney said she had missed several doses of medication before the alleged mid-air confrontation. She is pictured leaving a New York court on October 12.
Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and has since undergone intensive medical treatment to manage her symptoms.
During an October 12 hearing related to the latest incident, Barnes told the court that the alleged assault was not intentional.
“Ms. Blair missed several doses of … a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms” associated with her multiple sclerosis, Barnes claimed.
The attorney also said Blair had traveled to New York after a long period of work and had been injured during the flight.
“Ms. Blair boarded this flight after being on set and working extensive hours and exhaustive hours in the days leading up to this flight,” Barnes said. “Additionally, at one point during the flight, there was an incident where Miss Blair actually fell and hit her head.”
Blair, who has spoken publicly about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, is pictured last month.
Barnes said the combination of those circumstances and the effects of altitude left Blair in a state of severe confusion and disorientation.
A Delta representative told Our News Outlet that the airline maintains “zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior,” adding that the safety of its customers and crew is always the company’s highest priority.
Blair is scheduled to appear at her next hearing on January 19.
