TV host Bill Maher jokes about Selma Blair’s flight arrest amid FAA outage in US

Nearly a month after Selma Blair’s in-flight incident made a massive buzz online, the actress is back in the spotlight after American television host and comedian Bill Maher joked about her arrest. During the latest episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the comedian took a cheeky dig at the incident while discussing a recent FAA outage in the US.

Bill Maher jokes about Selma Blair’s flight arrest

On November 13, a new episode of Real Time with Bill Maher aired, which in no time made headlines as the comedian took a cheeky dig at Blair’s flight arrest while discussing a recent FAA outage in the US.

Also Read: Selma Blair gets emotional as she breaks silence on plane incident for first time: 'I’m sorry that it’s taken..'

During his monologue, Maher discussed the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to ground flights across the country after communication problems affected air traffic control operations. Questioning the official explanation for the disruption, he joked that it could have been caused by several factors.

“Did you see they grounded all the planes in America? All the planes,” he said. “They say it’s nothing nefarious. I don’t believe them. I mean, this could be a hack from China. Could be a hack from Iran. Could be a hack from AI itself. Could be Selma Blair. We just don’t know,” Maher said.

Also Read: Selma Blair’s team on flight incident, says she ‘did not intend to harm anyone’

What’s the matter?

Maher’s remark referred to Blair’s October arrest following an alleged altercation aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York. The incident took place on October 11, when the aircraft arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

According to reports, Blair allegedly caused a disturbance during the flight and attempted to open the aircraft’s emergency exit door. When flight attendants intervened, she allegedly punched one crew member and bit another. Authorities were called after the plane landed, and Blair was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.

Also Read: Selma Blair accused of assaulting flight attendants and hospital staff

Another report claimed that Blair allegedly kicked a police officer and a nurse while being taken for medical care. She was subsequently charged with two counts of second-degree assault and released on bond after appearing in court. Her next court date is scheduled for January 19, 2027.

Following the incident, a representative for Blair said she had experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged behaviour. On October 30, Blair shared an apology video on social media, expressing regret to those who were hurt, frightened or alarmed by the incident.

Blair said she never intended to hurt or frighten anyone and added that she was taking the legal matter seriously.

This was not the first time Maher had brought a celebrity into his monologues. A week earlier, on Real Time with Bill Maher, he took a dig at Taylor Swift in response to Donald Trump’s 1,300-word Truth Social rant after the two had dinner.

The comedian joked, “He went off on me like Kelly Clarkson in a toy store. Eating with Trump is like dating Taylor Swift: It’s a lot of laughs at the time, but later on, they’re tearing you a new asshole.”