Selma Blair Is Trying to Manage Her Health After Plane Arrest: ‘It Can Be a Lot to Handle’ (Exclusive Source)
Selma Blair Is Trying to Manage Her Health After Plane Arrest: ‘It Can Be a Lot to Handle’ (Exclusive Source)
Vanessa Etienne, Pernilla CedenheimMon, October 19, 2026 at 7:12 PM UTC
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Selma Blair attends the 2025 Environmental Media Awards Gala on Oct. 11, 2025, in Studio City, Calif.Credit: Savion Washington/Getty -
Selma Blair was arrested after an alleged altercation with flight crew members on an Oct. 11 Delta flight
Her representative said a medical emergency led to the alleged conduct
A source tells PEOPLE that Blair is trying to handle her multiple sclerosis, which she’s lived with since 2018
Selma Blair is working on better managing her multiple sclerosis following her recent arrest.
A source close to the actress tells PEOPLE that the 54-year-old feels embarrassed and upset following her arrest.
“Managing her MS is complicated and it can be a lot to handle,” the source shares.
“She makes mistakes,” the insider adds. “She’s not perfect. But she’s really trying to manage her health and keep up with work and commitments.”
Blair was arrested at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Oct. 11 after she allegedly punched a flight attendant and bit another crew member during a Delta Airlines flight. She also allegedly assaulted a nurse and a Port Authority Police officer. After appearing in court the next day and pleading not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, the actress was released on bail.
A representative for Blair told PEOPLE in a statement, “Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct. Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.”
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Selma Blair at the Calamigos Ranch Resort & Spa Leading Hotels of the World Accreditation Celebration on May 1, 2026, in Malibu, Calif.Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
Blair’s attorney Shawn Barnes also told the New York Post and theNew York Daily News that she had missed several doses of medication and had maintained a heavy work schedule before the flight. He emphasized, “This was not an intentional assault.”
Blair publicly revealed her diagnosis of the chronic autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis in 2018. The progressive disease damages the protective cover around nerves called myelin in your central nervous system, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It can cause muscle weakness, vision changes, numbness, memory loss and gastrointestinal issues.
The Legally Blonde star — who had been traveling with her service dog, Scout, at the time of the incident — broke her silence about the arrest on Friday, Oct. 16, in a lengthy statement to PEOPLE from her rep.
“What Selma has been able to do physically in the years since [her diagnosis] is nothing short of a miracle,” read the statement. “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.”
“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.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
