Selma Blair has issued a public apology for an alleged midair incident on a Delta flight earlier this month that resulted in her arrest and assault charges.
Nearly three weeks after the October 11 episode, the 54-year-old Cruel Intentions actress posted an extended apology video to Instagram on Friday. Blair said she had “never intended to hurt or frighten anyone.”
Sitting in her living room and speaking directly to the camera, Blair said: “To the people I disappointed, that I hurt, that I frightened, alarmed, I am so sorry.”
The actress has been accused of punching and biting members of the flight crew while traveling from Los Angeles to New York, and of attempting to open an aircraft door during the flight.
She has pleaded not guilty to two second-degree assault charges. The allegations involve claims that she kicked a Port Authority Police Department officer and later kicked a nurse at a hospital.
Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, has said his client was severely exhausted and had missed several doses of medication prescribed for her multiple sclerosis before the alleged confrontation in the air.
The 54-year-old Cruel Intentions star shared a lengthy apology video on Instagram nearly three weeks after the October 11 incident, saying she “never intended to hurt or frighten anyone.”
Dressed in slacks and a pale blue button-down shirt, Blair opened the nearly two-minute video by acknowledging her silence. “I know I’ve been quiet for a couple of weeks and you deserve to hear from me, and I’m sorry it’s taken this long,” she said.
She went on to explain that she could not discuss the events aboard the Delta aircraft in detail because the case remains before the courts.
“There is a legal matter going on and my lawyers have asked me not to say anything about that day [of the arrest],” Blair said. “I’m listening to them and I take this very seriously. What I can tell you, though, is very simple and the truth: not one day ever have I intended to hurt or frighten anyone.”
The Legally Blonde star also expressed gratitude to those who reached out after news of her arrest became public. “To the people that have written, that have called, that have sent wishes of love or caring, it has meant everything to me and my son, who is my world,” she said.
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Blair, who shares 15-year-old son Arthur Saint with her former partner Jason Bleick, added that she would now focus on her wellbeing and her child. “Right now I am going to be taking care of my health and my son, and thinking of you all with gratitude and love,” she said.
At a court hearing after her arrest, Barnes maintained that the incident did not amount to an intentional assault.
“Ms. Blair missed several doses of … a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms” associated with her multiple sclerosis, the attorney claimed.
Barnes also told the court that Blair had traveled to New York City after an especially demanding period of work and had sustained an injury during the flight.
Blair, pictured in a New York courtroom on Monday, October 12, pleaded not guilty to two second-degree assault charges and was released on bail.
Blair’s attorney said she had missed several medication doses before the alleged midair confrontation. She is pictured leaving a New York court on October 12.
“Ms. Blair boarded this flight after being on set and working extensive hours and exhaustive hours in the days leading up to this flight,” Barnes said. “Additionally, at one point during the flight, Miss Blair actually fell and hit her head.”
According to Barnes, the combination of exhaustion, the head injury and the effects of being at altitude left Blair severely confused and disoriented.
A Delta spokesperson told The Daily Mail that the airline maintains “zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior,” adding that the safety of passengers and crew members remains its highest priority.
Blair is slated for a hearing in the matter on January 19.