Bill Maher Brutally Blames Selma Blair for Nationwide FAA Ground Stop
What To Know
- Bill Maher joked that Selma Blair might have caused the nationwide FAA ground stop during his November 13 monologue.
- Blair pleaded not guilty to assault charges stemming from an October flight incident in which she allegedly attacked flight attendants.
- Her attorney said she had missed medication for neurological symptoms, and Blair later apologized to those she hurt or frightened.
Bill Maher brutally blamed Selma Blair for the nationwide FAA ground stop.
In the Friday, November 13 episode of Real Time With Bill Maher, the late-night host took aim at the Cruel Intentions actress while addressing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues that left thousands of travelers stranded. (The ground stop has since been lifted, although flight delays and cancellations continued into the weekend.)
“People, calm down. Because you may not get home,” Maher, 70, said in his opening monologue, in response to the audience’s enthusiastic applause welcoming him to the stage. “Actually, breaking news, because it’s Friday, did you see they grounded all the planes in America? All the planes. So hope you’re staying for the weekend.”
Maher continued, “They say it’s nothing nefarious. I don’t believe them. I mean, this could be a hack from China, a hack from Iran. Could be a hack from AI itself.”
He then quipped, “Could be Selma Blair. We just don’t know,” prompting laughs and applause from the studio audience.
Actress Selma Blair was seen leaving Queens Criminal Court following her arraignment on Monday. She was 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 on Sunday night.
Following her arrest, she allegedly kicked a police officer and a nurse and is facing two assault charges.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 13, 2026
Of course, Maher was referring to Blair’s October 11 arrest after injuring two flight attendants during a Delta flight from Los Angeles to New York. The Legally Blonde actress, 54, allegedly tried to open the aircraft’s door in the middle of the flight; she also allegedly attacked flight attendants, resulting in bite marks and a bloody nose.
Ultimately, Blair, who lives with multiple sclerosis, was charged with counts of second-degree assault. She pleaded not guilty and was released on a $20,000 cash/$60,000 bond, and her next court date is on January 19.
“This was not an intentional assault,” Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, said at her October arraignment, per the New York Post. “Ms. Blair missed several doses of… a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms.”
On October 30, Blair broke her silence on the arrest, telling her followers in an Instagram video, “I know I’ve been quiet for a couple of weeks since October 11, and you deserve to hear from me directly, and I’m sorry that it’s taken this long. There is a legal matter going on, and my lawyers have asked me to not say anything about that day, and I’m listening to them. And I take this very seriously.
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Blair continued, “What I can tell you though, is very simple and the truest thing I know about myself, and that not one day ever have I intended to hurt or frighten anyone a day in my life. 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 is Scout, who is also OK. 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.”
Real Time With Bill Maher will conclude its 2026 run on Friday, November 20, and return with new episodes in January 2027.
Real Time With Bill Maher, Fridays at 10/9c, HBO
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