‘Karen’ who slapped Delta passenger is ex-‘Baywatch’ actress Patricia Cornwall
The woman caught on video slapping a passenger aboard a Delta flight last week was revealed as a one-time NFL cheerleader and former small-time actor with a role in “Baywatch.”
Patricia Cornwall, whose stage name is Patty Breton, was charged with assault on Monday for a wild mid-flight tirade that went viral on social media.
A federal criminal complaint filed in Georgia detailed the fracas that erupted on a flight from Tampa, Florida, to Atlanta last Thursday.
Cornwall, according to the affidavit, was trying to return to her seat from the restroom when she asked a flight attendant with a beverage cart that was blocking the aisle for help finding her seat.
The flight attendant asked Cornwall to find a vacant seat until the beverage service was complete.
“What am I, Rosa Parks?” Cornwall snapped back, according to the court docs, garnering the attention of the victim.
The man, who felt Cornwall’s comments were out of line, told her that she “isn’t black … this isn’t Alabama and this isn’t a bus,” according to the affidavit.
The two then exchanged insults, with the man telling Cornwall to “Sit down, Karen!”
Cornwall responded, “Sit down, p—y,” according to the court documents.
According to a video of the incident captured by another passenger’s cellphone, the two also screamed at each other to “mask up!”
Cornwall is then seen slapping the man, who shouts, “You’re going to jail!”
Police arrested Cornwall at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and she was later taken into custody by the FBI.
She posted a $20,000 bond at her arraignment. A judge ruled that she can only fly to return home to Los Angeles.
Cornwall has recently worked as a realtor. According to public records, she received a real estate license in California in 2013, which expired in 2017.
She has an active profile with Coldwell Banker Realty that lists her as an agent.
“I have been practicing residential real estate for 13 years in Los Angeles/Westside,” she wrote in a recent online posting seeking a roommate in Florida, where she hopes to relocate permanently.
Decades ago, as Patty Breton, she appeared in small televisions roles, according to her IMDb profile. She was on an episode of “Baywatch” in 1987 and had a role on “Married … with Children” in 1989. The actress was also featured in “Playboy: Cheerleaders.”
In the early 1990s, she was also a member of the Raiderettes — the cheerleading squad for the then-Los Angeles Raiders.
Cornwall could not be reached for comment Monday night.
