Selma Blair was tearful as she spoke on camera for the first time since her arrest on assault charges following an incident on a flight to New York City.
The actor, 54, appeared in court on 12 October and pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault; she was released on bail.
In a post to Instagram on Friday night (30 October), Blair said her followers “deserve to hear from me directly” and apologised “that it’s taken this long”.
Blair, 54, said there was “a legal matter going on” and her lawyers had asked her not to say anything about the incident on 12 October.
“I take this very seriously,” the Legally Blonde star said. “What I can tell you, though, is very simple, and the truest thing I know about myself in that not one day ever have I intended to hurt or frighten anyone a day in my life.”
She continued: “And so to the people that I disappointed, that I hurt, that I frightened, alarmed… I am so sorry.
“And to the people that have written, or called, or sent wishes of love or caring, it has meant everything to me and my son, who is my world, as a scout who is also okay. So right now, I’m going to be taking care of my health and my son, and thinking of you all with gratitude and love.”
Blair’s comments come after she issued a statement through a representative claiming that “the public account of what happened to Selma aboard a flight to New York has been built almost entirely on a police statement and a decade-old headline”.
“A handful of journalists have taken the time to report on Selma as a human being rather than a headline, and we are grateful to them,” the statement to People continued. “But fair reporting has been the exception, and in the space left by our silence, speculation has hardened into something being treated as fact. We can, however, correct the record on a few points already in public circulation.”
Her representative said Blair experienced a “medical emergency” on the flight, denying reports that there was an attempt to open the door of the Delta aircraft.
“Selma did not intend to harm anyone,” they said.
The spokesperson continued, adding that “the suggestion by anyone that Selma does not have multiple sclerosis is outrageous. Her diagnosis has been public since 2018”.
“What Selma has been able to do physically in the years since is nothing short of a miracle,” they said. “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.
“For the same reason, she travels with a service dog who doesn’t leave her side, and the authorities took her dog from her.”
They concluded by stating that there was “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”.
Blair was accused of punching a flight attendant and biting another crew member during the flight. She was also alleged to have assaulted a nurse and a Port Authority Police officer”.
Dispatch audio obtained by TMZ revealed that injuries sustained by crew members included a bloody nose and bite marks. One of the flight attendants was reportedly taken to the hospital. Other audio revealed Blair screaming “No!” repeatedly as alarms went off in the background.
Blair’s previous statement alleged that she “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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