After her recent airport ordeal, Ellen Pompeo might just want to keep an eye on her blood pressure. The beloved star of Grey's Anatomy recounted an incident where she was detained by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) while rushing to catch a flight—solely due to a bag of salty snacks she intended to bring on board. In an interview with Travel + Leisure published on May 29th, Pompeo revealed, "I had a packet of Erewhon's organic sunflower seeds, probably the fanciest, most expensive ones money could buy." She continued, "They detained me for an entire hour and even summoned the bomb squad."
Pompeo was absolutely blown away by the fact that the seeds she had purchased from the prestigious Los Angeles grocer, famous for Hailey Bieber's smoothie recipe, elicited such an intense reaction. She recounted her astonishment, saying, "I thought to myself, 'What could possibly be going on here? Is this some sort of bizarre joke?'" The TSA officers informed her that it was most likely a chemical residue on the packaging of these lavish, organic, pristine sunflower seeds that had triggered the security alert. "My plane-bound protein fix!" she exclaimed in disbelief.Even when Pompeo offered to discard the seeds, officials insisted she remain stationary while they investigated the unopened packet. "I almost missed my flight," the 55-year-old shared. "It was surreal; no one would ever believe this tale! I was texting my publicist, saying, 'I might not make it onto this plane, and you'll never guess why!'"
While Pompeo's protein-laden snack undoubtedly raised some red flags, this isn't the first time her commitment to health has stirred up controversy. In fact, she recently reminisced about a time when she was "so skinny" that "everyone thought I had an eating disorder." She confided in People in February, "The tabloids would print horrendous things. I remember feeling incredibly anxious on red carpets, grappling with comments about my weight and body."
"It was a tumultuous period marked by how underweight I was, attracting an overwhelming amount of negative attention," she elaborated. "Nowadays, girls can be stunning and thin, and thankfully, we're discouraged from commenting on women's bodies, even though some still do. But back then, I was plagued by anxiety and lacked self-esteem because people were so harsh about my physical appearance."
