Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo claims she was detained by TSA who called in bomb squad over very unexpected item
Liv Bridge
Featured Image Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Variety via Getty Images
Ellen Pompeo was apparently detained by airport security who called bomb squad over an unexpected item.
The Grey's Anatomy star recently revealed she almost missed her flight when law enforcement officers descended on her and detained her for trying to bring one thing on board.
Pompeo recalled the dramatic moment earlier in March: "I almost missed the flight. It was really like no one would ever believe this! I was texting my publicist saying, 'I might not get on this plane, and you're never gonna guess why,'" as per Travel and Leisure.
The 55-year-old mom-of-three even offered to throw the apparent offensive item away, but cops said it had to be thoroughly investigated by none other than bomb squad.
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Pompeo told the news outlet that she often brings a goodie bag of 'unusual stuff' to pass the the time and ensure a safe, nutritious and hygienic trip while traveling.
"Mints, glasses, water, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes. I have to do the Naomi Campbell thing and wipe down the entire seat," the celeb said.
However, this time she got caught out and triggered the alarm for bringing a small protein snack - of sunflower seeds.
"I had a bag of sunflower seeds, like organic sunflower seeds from Erewhon, so they were probably the most expensive sunflower seeds money can buy," she continued. "They literally held me for an hour, and they brought the bomb squad in. And I was like, what is happening? Is this a joke?"
Explaining how the situation over some sunflower seeds unfolded, Pompeo said: "They said it was most likely a chemical on the packaging of these super expensive, fancy, organic, clean sunflower seeds. My protein on the plane!"
Pompeo says she was already a nervous flier but hasn't been put off since the debacle, though still prefers to travel with her family, Stella Luna, 15, Sienna May, 10, and Eli Christopher, eight, as well as with husband Chris Ivery.
“I like to hold my kids' hands when I take off, which is probably a little selfish, and they're probably feeling my anxiety, which probably isn't the best thing to do,” she said.
“I love any kind of trip as long as my kids are with me. I get a little bit anxious when I travel for work without my kids, but when we're all together, we try to do it all and give them a good mix [of types of trips].
"It's a privilege to be able to travel with these kids and bring them places, so I try to just have a lot of gratitude for that and show them as much as I can.“
She also revealed her ideal plane outfit involves something 'comfy' - and a 'hat'.
"And I don't speak," she continued. "People recognize my voice, so I try not to talk. I try to use sign language with my kids. The minute I open my mouth, everybody turns."