Selma Blair's representative is speaking out about the actress' recent arrest.
The "Cruel Intentions" star, 54, was charged with two counts of felony second-degree assault earlier this week following an incident on a flight Sunday, Oct. 11, from Los Angeles to New York City. Publicist Jill Fritzo addressed the situation in a statement shared with USA TODAY Friday, Oct. 16.
"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 reads. "A handful of journalists have taken the time to report on Selma as a human being rather than a headline, and we are grateful to them. But fair reporting has been the exception, and in the space
left by our silence, speculation has hardened into something being treated as fact.
"We can, however, correct the record on a few points already in public circulation," it continued. "Selma 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."
Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic, degenerative autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system, in 2018.
Selma Blair was arrested for assault, pleaded not guilty
Around 11 p.m. on Oct. 11, Port Authority police responded to Delta Flight 938 when it arrived at its gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to a statement provided to USA TODAY by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. TMZ reported on Oct. 12 that Blair allegedly punched one Delta Air Lines flight attendant and bit another.
Two flight attendants reported injuries, and one was taken to a hospital. Blair was also hospitalized for evaluation, Port Authority told USA TODAY.
While the "Legally Blonde" actress was being secured on a stretcher to transport her from the terminal to an ambulance, Blair allegedly kicked Port Authority Police Department Officer Maria Suarez repeatedly in the face, neck and chest, according to the criminal complaint.
Suarez said she required hospital treatment due to the "substantial" pain and swelling. A registered nurse involved in Blair's transport alleged the actress also kicked her in the chest and caused "substantial" pain.
Blair was arriagned and charged with two counts of felony second-degree assault in New York's Queens Criminal Court the next day. She pleaded not guilty and posted bail set at $20,000 cash or credit card, or a $60,000 insured or partially secured surety bond.
CNN reported Blair's attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the court she had worked long hours, missed medication doses and fallen and hit her head aboard the plane. Fritzo told USA TODAY at the time that Blair "experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct" and received immediate medical attention and was in stable condition.
Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in August 2018 and announced the news in an Oct. 20, 2018 Instagram post, writing, "I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken gps. But we are doing it." She has been an advocate for the disease since, and said she is in remission in recent years.
In her Oct. 16 statement, Fritzo said, "The suggestion by anyone, that Selma 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."
According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple sclerosis occurs when "the immune system attacks the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers, known as myelin," which "interrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body." There is no cure, although there are treatments to manage symptoms, which can include numbness or tingling, lack of coordination and difficulty walking.
"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," Fritzo added.
A Pseudobulbar affect is described by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America as "a neurological condition that is characterized by sudden, uncontrollable expressions of laughter or crying. This type of emotional behavior is difficult to control voluntarily and can be extremely distressing to those who experience it."
Fritzo added in her statement: "It should be noted Selma has worked on seven film and television projects in 2026 alone, only a couple of which have been announced. She has launched a skin care line, a clothing line, and a line of eye-glass 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."
The statement concluded: "Selma had never been arrested before Sunday night. There is much more to this story than has been reported, and we ask to consider the entirety of the facts before rushing to judgment, whether in the courtroom or in the court of public opinion."
Contributing: Sameen Chaudhry, KiMi Robinson and Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Selma Blair rep releases statement on flight incident, assault arrest
