Selma Blair shuts down ‘outrageous’ claims about her illness after plane arrest

Selma Blair was arrested earlier this week following an alleged altercation on a plane

Selma Blair has poured cold water on ‘outrageous’ claims following her arrest over an alleged altercation on a plane.

Earlier this week, the American actress, 54, was arrested for allegedly biting a cabin crew member and biting another while flying to New York via Delta Airlines.

It was further reported that Blair attempted to open the aircraft door.

After the incident, one injured flight attendant was taken to hospital, and Blair was also hospitalised for evaluation while the FBI investigated.

It was claimed she kicked a police officer and a nurse in the chest, too, according to a criminal court affidavit.

The next day, she pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault and was released on bail.

In the immediate aftermath of the situation, a representative for Blair said she ‘experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct’. After receiving ‘immediate medical attention’, she was confirmed to be ‘stable’.

Now, the star has issued a lengthier statement, addressing the ‘speculation’ borne from her team’s silence and how mistruths about the incident have been reported ‘as fact’.

‘Since Sunday night, the public account of what happened to Selma aboard a flight to New York has been built almost entirely on a police statement and a decade-old headline,’ the statement via her team to People began.

Her reps said they wanted to ‘correct the record on a few points already in public circulation’.

Echoing their earlier statement, they reiterated that 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,’ they stated.

The actress was released on bail (Picture: AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Blair was diagnosed with the lifelong autoimmune condition multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2018 following years of doctors dismissing her symptoms.

The Cruel Intentions star’s spokespeople said that ‘the suggestion by anyone that [she] does not have multiple sclerosis is outrageous’.

‘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.’

Indeed, reports said her service dog, which helps her maintain her independence, was on board the plane with Blair. The English Labrador, Scout, has been seen with her publicly on many occasions.

The statement went on to say Blair has ‘worked on seven film and television projects in 2026 alone, only a couple of which have been announced’.

‘She has launched a skincare line, a clothing line, and a line of eyeglass readers, each built around the idea of beauty and utility for people whose bodies do not always cooperate. 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.’

It concluded that ‘there is much more to this story than has been reported’, with her team asking the public to ‘consider the entirety of the facts before rushing to judgement, whether in the courtroom or in the court of public opinion’.

On October 12, a Delta Airlines spokesperson said the company has ‘zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behaviour’, insisting that the ‘safety of customers and crew always comes first’.

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