Ellen Pompeo detained by TSA after snack triggers bomb squad response at airport

Actress Ellen Pompeo was recently detained by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at an airport after a bag of organic sunflower seeds she was carrying triggered a security alert.

In an interview with Travel + Leisure published May 29, the Grey’s Anatomy star said she was held for nearly an hour after TSA agents—and even a bomb squad—responded to the snack she brought from Erewhon, a high-end Los Angeles grocery store.

"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," Pompeo explained. “They literally held me for an hour, and they brought the bomb squad in.”

Pompeo said she was shocked by the response and offered to simply throw the seeds away. However, security officials insisted she remain while they examined the unopened package. "They said it was most likely a chemical on the packaging of these super expensive, fancy, organic, clean sunflower seeds,” she recalled. “My protein on the plane!”

The 55-year-old actress added that the delay nearly caused her to miss her flight, texting her publicist during the ordeal: "I might not get on this plane, and you're never gonna guess why."

While the airport incident was unexpected, Pompeo noted it’s not the first time her health-focused lifestyle has sparked outside attention. In a February interview with People, she opened up about earlier in her career when her thin appearance led to speculation that she had an eating disorder.

"There was so much negative attention," she said. "I just had so much anxiety and lacked self-esteem because people were so critical of my physicality."