Ellen Pompeo’s travel plans hit a snag when TSA decided her fancy snack wasn’t cleared for takeoff. It seems even A-list treats need to abide by economy rules…
Videos by Suggest
The 55-year-old actress was stopped by TSA in March for trying to board a plane with a bag of Erewhon 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 recently told Travel + Leisure. “They literally held me for an hour, and they brought the bomb squad in.”
Pompeo started to think she was being Punk’d.
But she was told that “it was most likely a chemical on the packaging of these super expensive, fancy, organic, clean sunflower seeds” that made the TSA investigate the swanky snack.
“I almost missed the flight,” Pompeo recalled to T+L. “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.’”
Texting our publicist after our travel plans hit a hiccup because of a crazy expensive snack… we’ve all been there.
Ellen Pompeo Admits to Being ‘a Little Selfish’ When Treveling with Her Kids
Despite the TSA mishap, Pompeo shared with T+L that she still loves to travel. She also revealed her carry-on essentials—minus Erewhon sunflower seeds from now on—and her routine before settling into her seat.
“Mints, glasses, water, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes,” she detailed. “I have to do the Naomi Campbell thing and wipe down the entire seat.”
Meanwhile, the mother of three says she prefers traveling with her family.
Pompeo and her husband, music producer Chris Ivery, have been married since 2007 and share three children: Stella Luna, 15, Sienna May, 10, and Eli Christopher, 8.
She also shared that she uses her children as a crutch while flying.
“I like to hold my kids’ hands when I take off,” she admitted, “which is probably a little selfish, and they’re probably feeling my anxiety, which probably isn’t the best thing to do.”