What we know about Selma Blair’s assault charges after she was arrested over JFK incident

CNN, WABC, POOL, ATC.COM, GETTY IMAGES

By Hanna Park, Jeff Winter, Mark Morales, CNN

(CNN) — Actress Selma Blair faces two assault charges for allegedly kicking a law enforcement officer and a nurse after she was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York following a disturbance on a plane that police say left two flight attendants injured.

During a commercial flight from Los Angeles to New York, Blair allegedly bit one flight attendant and left another with lacerations, according to a law enforcement official.

The 54-year-old was taken into custody late Sunday evening after authorities responded to a call and boarded the plane parked at a gate, according to Port Authority Police Department media relations.

Blair’s lawyer, Shawn Barnes, told the court Monday she had taken the flight after extensive hours on set, fell and hit her head on the plane and missed her medication. She was in the grip of a medical emergency, Barnes said.

Blair pleaded not guilty, according to the Queens Criminal Court. She was released from custody on bail.

Here’s what we know:

What happened on the flight to New York?

The Port Authority said its officers were dispatched with the FBI after a report of a physically abusive passenger aboard the arriving on Delta Air Lines flight 938. The suspect was identified as Blair, who was taken into custody and later transported to a hospital for evaluation. Two flight attendants said they were hurt, and one of them was sent to a hospital for additional evaluation, the agency said.

Air traffic control audio recorded by the app ATC.com, indicated that a request initially went out for medics to meet the aircraft because two crew members needed care. A later transmission characterized the harm as more minor – “a bloody nose as well as some bite marks” – without saying who was hurt, and separately relayed that the unruly passenger may have “bashed her head on the bulkhead.”

The law enforcement official told CNN said one flight attendant was bitten and a second was cut, and that officers resorted to plastic restraints to subdue Blair.

Prosecutors said Blair kicked a Port Authority officer when she was being strapped into a stretcher before being loaded into the ambulance. Blair freed her leg from the stretcher straps and kicked the officer in the head and chest, according to a criminal complaint.

Hours later, Blair kicked a nurse, who was taking her for additional treatment in the chest, the complaint said.

Barnes, Blair’s attorney, arrived later at the hospital and took possession of her service animal that was with her on the flight, the official said.

Blair spent seven to eight hours at the hospital, Barnes said.

CNN has reached out to Delta and the Federal Aviation Administration for more information.

Delta told CNN in a statement that the airline “has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.” The airline also said law enforcement met the plane upon its arrival.

What charges does she face?

Blair faces two state charges of assault for allegedly kicking the Port Authority officer and the nurse, according to a criminal complaint. She may also face federal charges for any alleged crimes aboard a flight.

The FBI has issued a summons, the law enforcement source told CNN. The summons is a notice charging her with assault related to her actions aboard the aircraft, the Associated Press reported.

The FBI’s New York field office told CNN it does “not comment on ongoing investigations.”

In court Monday, a prosecutor said Blair kicked the police officer in the face, neck and chest while he was on duty, leaving him with facial swelling and arm pain. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Hours later, prosecutors said, Blair kicked a nurse who was taking her for additional treatment in the chest.

Barnes said the night was a cascade of exhaustion and medical crisis. Barnes said Blair had boarded the flight after extensive hours on set, fell and hit her head on the plane, and missed several doses of her medication.

Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and has since detailed her struggles with the disease publicly, including in the Val Kilmer documentary, “Introducing, Selma Blair.” Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that attacks health cells in the central nervous system.

Barnes said Monday that in addition to multiple sclerosis, Blair had been diagnosed with Parkinsonism, a group of movement symptoms marked by tremors and stiffness.

“We do not believe, your honor, that this is an intentional assault,” said Barnes, according to a pool feed of the hearing.

Blair left court after being released on $20,000 bail. The judge also issued an order of protection for the nurse she kicked.

Blair is due back in court on January 19. If convicted on the state charges, she could face two to seven years in jail, a prosecutor said Monday.

A history of health challenges

This is not the first time Blair has faced authorities over conduct on a commercial airliner. In 2016, she publicly apologized after becoming unruly and being removed from a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles on a stretcher. She was hospitalized afterward.

In a statement to Vanity Fair afterward, Blair described that incident as “a big mistake,” explaining that combining alcohol with her medication had caused her “to black out and led me to say and do things that I deeply regret.”

In the days leading up to Sunday’s flight, Blair had been documenting a stretch of near-constant travel. That same day, she posted an Instagram video stringing together her latest travels with her dog, writing: “From LA to New Mexico to La to nyc to LA Scout and I have been busy.”

In recent years, Blair has been open about her life with multiple sclerosis, detailing her longtime chronic health challenges in a 2022 memoir titled “Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up.”

Talking to CNBC earlier this year, she spoke about navigating the challenges of work during that initial diagnosis and why she decided to announce publicly her battle with multiple sclerosis.

“I was just grateful to work. So I just was so happy to thank the people (I was working with) and I had no idea the impact that would have on some people that were looking for visibility, or looking for understanding of their own neurological or chronic illness journey,” she told CNBC.

“I started to feel a responsibility, the joy visibility could give other people,” she said, following the public’s response and expression of support following that announcement.

Before her advocacy, Blair built a decadeslong acting career spanning teen dramas, broad comedies and comic-book adaptations. Her breakout came in 1999’s “Cruel Intentions,” a modern retelling of “Les Liaisons dangereuses” set among wealthy New York teenagers. She followed it with a major supporting role opposite Reese Witherspoon in 2001’s “Legally Blonde.”

From there, Blair moved between genres, earning roles in the “Hellboy” film franchise and starring in the romantic comedy, “The Sweetest Thing.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Alexandra Skores and Dan Heching contributed to this report.