NEED TO KNOW
- Ellen Pompeo says she was delayed by TSA for an hour after trying to board a flight with a pricey snack that, triggered a bomb squad investigation.
- The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star joked about the ordeal, saying she thought her publicist wouldn’t believe it if she missed her flight
- A self-described nervous flier, Pompeo says she now sticks to carry-on essentials like wipes and water — and leans on her kids for comfort during takeoff.
Ellen Pompeo got an unexpected lesson on what snacks are safe to munch on in flight after a recent security debacle.
The Grey’s Anatomy star, 55, was stopped by TSA in March for attempting to board a plane with a bag of Erewhon sunflower seeds, she reveals in a new interview with Travel + Leisure.
“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 says. “They literally held me for an hour, and they brought the bomb squad in.”
Pompeo asked the officials, “What is happening? Is this a joke?” They replied that “it was most likely a chemical on the packaging of these super expensive, fancy, organic, clean sunflower seeds” that triggered the search.
Ellen Pompeo/Instagram
To get on with the security and boarding process, the award-winning actor-director offered to simply throw the bag in the trash; however, she said they told her that she’d have to wait for the bomb squad to confirm the unopened bag of seeds was secure before being released.
“I almost missed the flight,” Pompeo recalls. “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.’”
Despite the TSA kerfuffle, Pompeo tells T+L that she loves to travel and reveals what she brings in her carry-on, excluding Erewhon sunflower seeds going forward, and her pre-seating routine.
“Mints, glasses, water, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes,” she shared. “I have to do the Naomi Campbell thing and wipe down the entire seat.”
As for how she likes to travel, the proud mom says her favorite way to jet set is with her family.
Pompeo shares three children – Stella Luna, 15, Sienna May, 10, and Eli Christopher, 8 – with her husband, music producer Chris Ivery, to whom she’s been married since 2007.
As a self-proclaimed nervous flier, the Good American Family star says her family is her support system during any uneasy moments. “I like to hold my kids’ hands when I take off,” she confessed, “which is probably a little selfish, and they’re probably feeling my anxiety, which probably isn’t the best thing to do.”
