American actress Selma Blair has been charged with two counts of second-degree assault following an alleged disturbance aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York, which left two flight attendants reporting injuries.
Blair appeared in court on Monday, October 12, 2026, but did not enter a plea. The charges stem from an incident aboard Delta flight 938, which arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday night.
According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, officers responded to reports of a physically abusive passenger after the aircraft landed. Blair was taken into custody and transported to hospital for evaluation.
Prosecutors alleged that Blair kicked a Port Authority officer in the head and chest while being secured to a stretcher before being taken to an ambulance. A criminal complaint further alleges that she later kicked a nurse in the chest while being taken for additional treatment.
Two flight attendants reported injuries in the incident, with one taken to hospital for further evaluation, according to the Port Authority. A law enforcement source also told CNN that Blair allegedly bit one flight attendant and left another with lacerations.
Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the court that the actress had spent extensive hours on set before boarding the flight, fallen and hit her head aboard the aircraft, and missed her medication. He added that she spent seven to eight hours in hospital before being taken into police custody and later had to return for further treatment.
Judge Indira Khan set Blair’s bail at $20,000 and issued an order of protection for the nurse allegedly kicked during the incident. Blair is expected to be released upon meeting the bail conditions and is due back in court on January 19.
The FBI’s New York field office confirmed that the incident was under investigation but declined to comment further on the ongoing inquiry. Delta Air Lines said it had zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behaviour and confirmed that law enforcement officers met the aircraft upon arrival.
Blair, best known for roles in Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde and the Hellboy film franchise, revealed in 2018 that she had multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease affecting the central nervous system.
The latest incident is not her first reported disturbance aboard a commercial aircraft. In 2016, Blair publicly apologised after being removed from a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles and taken to hospital. At the time, she said she had mixed alcohol with medication, resulting in a blackout and behaviour she regretted.
The allegations in the latest case have yet to be tested in court.
