Actress Selma Blair has broken her silence following her October arrest on assault charges stemming from an inflight incident, issuing a video apology to those she alarmed and hurt.
The 54-year-old star of “Cruel Intentions” shared a video message on Instagram on Friday. Although her legal counsel advised her against discussing the ongoing case, Blair stated that she is taking the matter “very seriously” and felt the public deserved to hear from her directly after remaining quiet since the Oct. 11 event.
“To the people that I disappointed, that I hurt, that I frightened, alarmed, I am so sorry,” Blair said in the video, acknowledging the delay in addressing the public.
The arrest followed an altercation on a Delta Air Lines flight traveling from Los Angeles to New York City, where authorities in New York stated she allegedly became “physically abusive” and was removed from the aircraft. According to the Port Authority, two flight attendants reported injuries during the incident, and one was hospitalized. Blair was subsequently charged with two counts of second-degree assault regarding actions after the flight concluded, specifically accused of kicking a Port Authority police officer who accompanied her to the hospital and later kicking a hospital nurse. She has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
Addressing her character in the video, Blair maintained that harming others is contrary to her nature. “What I can tell you, though, is very simple, and the truest thing I know about myself, and that not one day ever have I intended to hurt or frighten anyone a day in my life,” she said.
Blair expressed gratitude to supporters who reached out to her and her son, whom she described as her world, alongside her service dog, Scout, noting that both are doing fine. She added that she intends to focus on her health and her son moving forward.
During her Oct. 12 arraignment, defense attorney Shawn Barnes argued before a judge that the behavior was not intentional, telling the court that Blair had missed multiple doses of medication and had suffered a fall during the flight, hitting her head. A representative for Blair also released a statement attributing the conduct to a medical emergency. Furthermore, her attorney stated in court that her actions stemmed from a medical emergency involving diagnoses of multiple sclerosis and Parkinsonism. Blair publicly disclosed a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 2018, an autoimmune condition affecting the central nervous system according to the National Institutes of Health.
The district attorney’s office confirmed that the legal proceedings have been adjourned until Jan. 19.
