Ellen Pompeo has opened up about an unexpected incident at the airport, where the TSA detained her for almost an hour. The incident, which included a bomb squad investigation, left her stunned. Now, many fans are curious about what happened.
Here are all the details of the incident.
What happened to Ellen Pompeo?
Recently, Ellen Pompeo revealed that in March, TSA agents stopped her at the airport when she tried to board a flight with a sealed bag of sunflower seeds from Erewhon. According to Pompeo, the packaging of the pricey seeds somehow triggered an alert, prompting agents to detain her for nearly an hour and even call in the bomb squad.
In a new interview with Travel + Leisure, Pompeo said, “They literally held me for an hour, and they brought the bomb squad in.” She added, “It was most likely a chemical on the packaging of these super expensive, fancy, organic, clean sunflower seeds.”
Pompeo offered to throw the snack away, but officials told her she had to wait until authorities cleared it. She said, “I almost missed the flight. It was really like no one would ever believe this!” The star added, “I was texting my publicist saying, ‘I might not get on this plane, and you’re never gonna guess why.’”
Despite the incident, Pompeo says she still enjoys traveling, though she now avoids packing Erewhon sunflower seeds. Her current travel essentials include mints, glasses, water, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes. “I have to do the Naomi Campbell thing and wipe down the entire seat,” she said.
As a nervous flier, Pompeo also shared that she leans on her family for emotional support while flying. The star also admitted to holding her kids’ hands during takeoff, though she jokes that she might be passing her anxiety onto them.
