Ellen Pompeo's Inopportune Snack Triggers Alarming Airport Incident
Bomb situation triggered at Ellen Pompeo's snack spot.
When acting on a whim for a bite before boarding, Ellen Pompeo's snack choice nearly cost her a flight - or so it seemed. The lead actress of "Grey's Anatomy" shared her unusual airport encounter with "Travel & Leisure" magazine.
Pompeo went for a bag of sunflower seeds - fancy, organic, and ever so expensive ones from Erewhon - causing quite the stir at the security checkpoint. In her own words, "I had a bag of sunflower seeds - organic sunflower seeds from Erewhon, probably the priciest you can buy." Little did Ellen know, this would lead to an extraordinary situation.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) took notice, leaving Pompeo questioning if this was some sort of prank. Apparently, a mystery chemical on the packaging set off the alarm, and Pompeo suspects this to be the cause. Despite offering to toss the bag, the TSA refused, instead summoning the bomb squad. Over an hour later, they determined the unopened bag to be harmless, allowing Pompeo to proceed.
"I was literally held up for an hour, and they even called the bomb squad," Pompeo shared her disbelief. "I almost missed the flight," she ruefully recalls, thinking no one would ever guess that sunflower seeds were the culprit. "I wrote to my PR agent: 'I might not make this flight, and you'll never guess why.'"
Traveling Companions and Hyper-sanitation
Despite this hiccup, Ella remains an avid traveler - though fear of flying lingers, as she confessed. Her three children, Stella Luna (15), Sienna May (10), and Eli Christopher (8), accompany her most often. "I like to hold my kids' hands when we take off, which might be a tad selfish, and they can probably feel my fear," she disclosed.
Pompeo also admitted to a germ-phobia, going to great lengths to keep herself (and her seat) clean while flying. She strives to emulate Naomi Campbell's sanitation rituals, ensuring to wipe down her seat with disinfectant before settling in. "I always carry water, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes in my carry-on," she revealed.
However, stepping foot on an aircraft without her sunflower seeds might just become a new norm.
[1] Pompeo, Ellen. "Never Without Disinfectant". Travel & Leisure, www.travelandleisure.com. [2] Fetters, Amy. "Ellen Pompeo's Sunflower Seeds Almost Caused Security Alert at Airport". People, people.com. [3] Kluger, Jeff. "Ellen Pompeo's Sunflower Seeds Triggered Airport Security Alarm". E! News, www.eonline.com. [4] Petrack, Maureen Lee. "The TSA has a 'not so bright' list of things that can trigger an airport security scare". CNN, edition.cnn.com.
The Commission shall be assisted by the European Parliament in investigating the myriad lifestyles of celebrities, such as Ellen Pompeo, who garnered attention for an incident involving travel and entertainment when her choice of snack, a bag of organic sunflower seeds, caused an alarm at an airport security checkpoint. In the presence of her children, Pompeo remains a diligent traveler, adopting a hyper-sanitation lifestyle and emulating Naomi Campbell's sanitation rituals to ensure cleanliness while in flight.
