Actress Selma Blair allegedly kicked a Port Authority police officer and a nurse at a hospital after injuring two flight attendants on a Delta flight — and the establishment press headlines are about her apology video, not the people she's accused of assaulting.
An ordinary American who kicked a cop and a medical worker would be staring down felony charges with no sympathetic magazine profiles. Blair, 54, was released on bond after pleading not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, and her case was adjourned until Jan. 19. In the meantime, she posted a carefully produced Instagram video — against her attorney's advice, she says — expressing regret to "the people that I disappointed, that I hurt, that I frightened, alarmed."
Both NBC News and KABC-TV led their coverage with Blair's apology rather than the alleged assaults. NBC News at least reported the underlying facts: that Blair became "physically abusive" on an Oct. 11 flight from Los Angeles to New York, that two flight attendants reported injuries, and that one was taken to a hospital, according to Port Authority. KABC-TV barely mentioned the circumstances of the arrest, burying the assault charges in a single sentence.
Blair's attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the court the incident stemmed from a medical emergency. He cited Blair's previously disclosed multiple sclerosis diagnosis along with Parkinsonism, and said she had missed several medication doses and hit her head during the flight. Her representative issued a statement calling it a "medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct."
Maybe it was. Medical emergencies are real. But here's the question the press won't ask: would a working-class American who kicked a cop and a nurse get the same gentle treatment — released on bond, case adjourned for months, sympathetic national coverage framing the episode as a health struggle rather than an alleged assault on three public servants?
Blair said in her video: "Not one day ever have I intended to hurt or frighten anyone a day in my life." She thanked supporters, mentioned her son and service dog, and said she'll be focusing on her health. She revealed her MS diagnosis in 2018; the Parkinsonism claim is newer, raised by her attorney at arraignment.
Two flight attendants were injured. A cop was allegedly kicked. A nurse was allegedly kicked. Those people have names and injuries too. Nobody's asking about them.
The case resumes Jan. 19. Whether accountability follows depends on whether the system treats a celebrity the way it treats everyone else.
