Washington [US], October 17 (ANI): Actor Selma Blair has broken her silence following her arrest over an alleged altercation aboard a flight to New York, with her representative saying the actor experienced a medical emergency and did not intend to hurt anyone.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Blair’s spokesperson said the public narrative surrounding the October 11 incident had largely been shaped by a police statement and an earlier controversy involving the actor.
“Selma Blair experienced a medical emergency on the flight. There was no attempt to open the door of the aircraft. Selma did not intend to harm anyone,” the spokesperson said, adding that speculation about the incident had increasingly been treated as fact.
According to PEOPLE magazine, Blair, 54, was arrested at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport after the alleged altercation aboard a Delta Air Lines flight. She appeared in court on October 12 and pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault before being released on bail.
The actor’s representative also addressed concerns surrounding Blair’s health, pointing to her publicly disclosed diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease, which she revealed in 2018.
“The suggestion by anyone that Selma does not have multiple sclerosis is outrageous,” the spokesperson said, adding that Blair continues to live with daily pain despite her work and public appearances in recent years.
“Her diagnosis has been public since 2018. What Selma has been able to do physically in the years since is nothing short of a miracle. She still has bad days, and she lives with pain daily. Selma also has pseudobulbar affect, a neurological condition secondary to her MS, which bears directly on how a medical episode presents to people who do not know her. For the same reason, she travels with a service dog who doesn’t leave her side, and the authorities took her dog from her,” it said.
The statement also highlighted Blair’s professional work and advocacy, noting that she has worked on seven film and television projects in 2026 alone, several of which have yet to be announced.
The statement continued, “…has worked on seven film and television projects in 2026 alone, only a couple of which have been announced. She has launched a skin care line, a clothing line, and a line of eye-glass readers, each built around the idea of beauty and utility for people whose bodies do not always cooperate.”
It added, “She remains a visible and relentless advocate for disability rights, for the MS community, and this year for the Jewish community in the face of rising antisemitism, including from the stage of the ADL’s State of the Arts event at The Jewish Museum two weeks ago. Selma had never been arrested before Sunday night,” as per PEOPLE.
The statement concluded by urging the public to consider all available facts before reaching a conclusion about the incident.
“There is much more to this story than has been reported, and we ask to consider the entirety of the facts before rushing to judgment, whether in the courtroom or in the court of public opinion,” the representative said.
According to a criminal court affidavit, Blair was accused of repeatedly kicking a police officer and striking a nurse in the chest during the October 11 flight incident. Dispatch audio obtained by PEOPLE on October 12 also indicated that an emergency responder reported injuries, including “some bite marks” and other minor injuries, involving someone connected to the incident.
The FBI confirmed on October 12 that it was investigating the matter. A Delta Air Lines spokesperson told PEOPLE that the airline had “zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior,” adding that the safety of its customers and crew remained a priority.
Blair has previously faced public scrutiny over incidents involving air travel. In 2016, the Cruel Intentions actor apologised after causing a disturbance and being removed from a flight in Los Angeles following a trip to Cancun, Mexico, according to PEOPLE magazine.
Following her arrest, Blair is still expected to attend the upcoming 90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut, scheduled for October 16–18. (ANI)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
