Culture 3 min read By Trevor Kendall
Selma Blair apologizes after alleged JFK airport assault on flight crew
Selma Blair has issued a video apology after being removed from a plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Oct. 11, where she faces two state charges of second-degree assault.
Selma Blair has apologized publicly after an incident on Oct. 11 in which she was removed from a plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport. In a video statement released on Friday, the actress said, « I am so sorry », addressing the people affected by the episode.
Blair, 54, is facing two state charges of second-degree assault in connection with the alleged attacks on a flight attendant and a nurse. According to the primary report, she allegedly injured the flight attendant and kicked the nurse after being taken off the aircraft. The charges are allegations, and no court outcome has been reported in the sources available.
In a separate statement reported by Deadline, Blair said she never « intended to hurt or frighten anyone » when she allegedly tried to open an airplane door mid-flight bound for New York City. The same account states that she later assaulted airline staff. Blair wrote that she takes the matter « very seriously », presenting her apology as an acknowledgment of the distress the situation caused to those involved.
The episode unfolded during a flight to New York, and the sequence described in the reports centers on the alleged attempt to open the door before the assaults on crew members followed. Both sources describe the incident as one in which Blair was removed from the aircraft, with the nurse and flight attendant named as the people she allegedly harmed. Neither account describes injuries beyond those alleged in the charges, and neither places the blame on anyone other than Blair.
The apology is Blair's first public comment on the arrest, and it arrived more than two weeks after the Oct. 11 incident. Coverage of the statement has appeared in both the primary and additional reports, with Deadline giving the apology the headline «Selma Blair Breaks Silence On JFK Airport Arrest», a framing that highlights how long she had stayed silent. The actress has drawn attention in entertainment coverage for her career in film and television, which is why the arrest has been reported widely.
Because the charges have not been tested in court, the apology does not resolve the legal questions. Any further developments, including the status of the two assault counts, would depend on proceedings that the sources do not describe. For now, the public record consists of Blair's own words and the allegations filed against her.
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