Selma Blair faces assault charges after Delta flight incident, pleads not guilty
The 'Cruel Intentions' actress was arraigned Monday in Queens on two counts of second-degree assault after a chaotic flight from Los Angeles to JFK. Her attorneys say a medical emergency caused her behavior. Here's what happened.
In brief
Selma Blair faces assault charges after Delta flight incident, pleads not guilty
Sunday night started as a routine red-eye from Los Angeles to New York. By the time Delta Air Lines Flight 938 pulled up to the gate at JFK just before midnight, law enforcement was already waiting.
Selma Blair allegedly caused chaos aboard the Delta flight, punching one flight attendant and biting another in the middle of the flight. Things apparently began when she attempted to open the aircraft door while the plane was in the air on its way to JFK, leading to a confrontation with crew members, TMZ reported. In dispatch audio obtained by TMZ, officials requested medical personnel at the gate after reports of minor injuries, including a bloody nose and bite marks.
It got worse after landing. Law enforcement tells TMZ that when Blair was in the ambulance en route to the hospital, she repeatedly kicked a Port Authority police officer in the head. Later, at around 2 a.m. Monday, a nurse at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center said Blair kicked her in the chest, according to a court document filed in Queens County.
Blair was charged with second-degree assault after being arrested following the violent incident, according to Queens Criminal Court. The actress posted $20,000 in bail, paid by credit card, and was released on Monday. She was arraigned on two counts of second-degree assault in Queens, where she pleaded not guilty. A judge set her bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond and set the next hearing for January 19.
What Blair's team is saying
Her attorneys did not dispute that something serious happened. They disputed what it means.
In court, Blair's attorneys said it was due to a medical emergency, and that she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and Parkinsonism. "We do not believe, your honor, that this is an intentional assault," attorney Shawn Barnes said at the hearing.
During Blair's court appearance, attorney Barnes said Blair injured herself and missed several doses of medication that controls "severe neurological symptoms." Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and has been in remission since 2021. Her attorneys also said she has been diagnosed with Parkinsonism, a term for conditions with "movement-related effects," per the Cleveland Clinic.
A representative for Blair told Variety: "Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct. Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition."
Delta told USA Today it could not corroborate reports that Blair tried to open an aircraft door. The FBI, responsible for investigating all assaults aboard aircraft, declined to release details.
Both state and federal charges
The legal exposure here is layered. Blair has been issued a summons accusing her of assaults that occurred aboard the plane. The charges listed on the violation notice issued by the FBI are assaults within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity.
The state assault charges are related to the alleged incidents in the ambulance and hospital. The FBI issued a separate summons for assaults within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, a federal law enforcement source said. No date has been set for the federal case against her.
Context that matters
Blair has been public about her health for years. She has been an advocate for disability rights. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018. In 2023, she joined President Joe Biden at the White House to celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This is not her first incident on a plane. Back in 2016, she was removed by stretcher after an episode on another Delta flight. That time, Blair publicly apologized and said she had mixed alcohol with medication. This time, her team is not raising alcohol and is pointing squarely to her neurological conditions.
The distinction matters legally. Second-degree assault under New York Penal Law, as charged in the criminal complaint filed in Queens, falls under section 120.05(3). A medical defense is a recognized argument, but it will now be tested in Queens Criminal Court on January 19, and separately in federal proceedings with no set date yet.
Blair had major roles in films including 1999's 'Cruel Intentions,' 2001's 'Legally Blonde' and 2004's 'Hellboy.' She most recently attended Variety's Power of Women event in Beverly Hills on September 23, just three weeks before the incident.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
