Actress Selma Blair arrested after allegedly biting flight attendant, being restrained on flight from LAX to JFK, source says
Actress Selma Blair has been arrested after allegedly biting a flight attendant on board a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport Sunday night.
Two flight attendants reported injures and one was taken to the hospital after the incident, according to the Port Authority Police. One of the flight attendants was bitten and the other sustained a laceration, according to a law enforcement source.
Her attorney said Blair experienced a medical emergency on the plane, but did not get into specifics.
It happened at 11 p.m. on board Delta Air Lines Flight 938. The flight crew needed to restrain her, a law enforcement source said.
In air traffic control audio, the pilot could be heard calling for medical personnel to come to the plane.
"Ah, a bloody nose as well as some bite marks as well, so I don't think we need an ambulance or anything like that but if we could get some medical personnel at the gate, to look at their injuries," the pilot said in audio captured on ATC.com. "It sounds like the disruptive passenger also bashed her head on the bulkhead or something like that, so we'll obviously have to get her potentially checked out as well as well as law enforcement."
Port Authority Police were called to the plane, along with the FBI. The FBI said it was looking into a "potential assault" that took place on the plane.
Blair, 54, was transported to Jamaica Hospital for evaluation after the incident.
While in the ambulance, she allegedly kicked a PAPD officer, and once at the hospital she allegedly assaulted a nurse, the source said.
A source in the DA's office confirms Blair has since been released from the hospital and was taken to Queens Central Booking for arraignment on two counts of assault. Those would be state charges related to the alleged incidents in the ambulance and hospital. The FBI also gave her a summons for assaults within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, a law enforcement source said.
She remains in custody. She was traveling with her service dog, which is now in the custody of her attorney.
"Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct. Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition," Blair's attorney said. The attorney did not specify what the medical emergency was.
In 2025, Blair gave an interview to People magazine talking about the difficulties she had traveling. In her 2022 memoir, she also has a chapter called "Bite Me" where she wrote about past instances where she bit other celebrities while drinking.
"Delta has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first," the airline said in a statement.
Blair has appeared in such films as "Cruel Intentions," "Legally Blonde," and "Hellboy," among others. In 2022, she was a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars." She has been outspoken about her struggle with multiple sclerosis.