Ellen Pompeo Detained by TSA, Bomb Squad for This Surprising Reason

Originally appeared on E! Online

Ellen Pompeo may need to get her blood pressure checked after this recent airport experience.

The Grey's Anatomy star revealed that she was recently detained by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) while trying to catch a flight—all because of a salty snack she was bringing on board.

"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 told Travel + Leisure in an interview published May 29. “They literally held me for an hour, and they brought the bomb squad in."

And Pompeo couldn't believe that her seeds—purchased from the upscale Los Angeles grocer known for the Hailey Bieber smoothie—prompted such a serious response.

"And I was like, what is happening? Is this a joke?" she recalled. "They said it was most likely a chemical on the packaging of these super expensive, fancy, organic, clean sunflower seeds. My protein on the plane!”

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Even when the actress offered to throw away the seeds, she said officials needed her to remain put while they investigated the unopened bag.

“I almost missed the flight," the 55-year-old shared. "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.'”

And while Pompeo's protein-packed snack certainly set off alarms, it's not the only time her dedication to her health has sparked controversy.

In fact, she recently recalled that she was once "so skinny" that "everyone thought I had an eating disorder."

"The tabloids would say horrible things," she told People in February. "I just remember being so anxious on red carpets, and the comments about my weight and my body."

"It was a whole situation with how skinny I was, and there was so much negative attention," she explained. "Girls today can be gorgeous and thin and thank God we're not allowed to comment on women's bodies, even though people do. But I just had so much anxiety and lacked self-esteem because people were so critical of my physicality."

To look back on some of Pompeo's most memorable moments from Grey's Anatomy over the years, read on.

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