Ellen Pompeo on the Snack That Acquired Her Flagged by TSA

Despite the fact that she is likely one of the largest tv stars of our time, Ellen Pompeo is rather like us when she travels. The Gray’s Anatomy star mentioned she brings the “typical stuff” when she flies. “Mints, glasses, water, hand sanitizer, and child wipes. I’ve to do the Naomi Campbell factor and wipe down the complete seat,” she advised Journey + Leisure earlier this month. And like many people, she additionally brings her personal snacks. Nonetheless, on a flight in March, what appeared like an harmless wholesome snack landed her in a room with the bomb squad.

Whereas going by way of TSA, she set off the alarms for carrying—of all issues—sunflower seeds. “I had a bag of sunflower seeds, like natural sunflower seeds from Erewhon, so that they have been most likely the costliest sunflower seeds cash should purchase. They actually held me for an hour, they usually introduced the bomb squad in.  And I used to be like, what is occurring? Is that this a joke? They mentioned it was almost definitely a chemical on the packaging of those tremendous costly, fancy, natural, clear sunflower seeds. My protein on the aircraft!” She requested if she may simply throw them away, however they wanted her to remain and await the bomb squad to evaluate this unopened bag of sunflower seeds. “I virtually missed the flight. It was actually like nobody would ever imagine this! I used to be texting my publicist saying, ‘I may not get on this aircraft, and also you’re by no means gonna guess why.’”

TSA sunflower seed debacle apart, Pompeo does like to journey, even when it throws off her typical morning routine of doing a sauna adopted by a chilly plunge as she does at her residence in Los Angeles.  “I’ll attempt to search for lodges with saunas. Not all people has a chilly plunge. Chilly plunges are a comparatively, , form of bougie, new factor. I believe most of those older lodges do not have it, however a chilly bathe, I believe, does the identical.” She additionally likes a lodge with a superb pool. “I do like to get up and swim.” She loves the swimming pools at The Greenwich Lodge and Bristol Plaza, each in New York Metropolis.

One other a part of her journey wellness routine is the Youth Activating Melon Serum Superior Components from Significant Magnificence, for which Pompeo is a model ambassador and a longtime fan. The skincare model simply had its twentieth anniversary in 2024. “That is all the time been my go-to on this line. And I put the melon serum on first, after which I put oil over it once I journey. I am actually huge into serums and oils at this age,” she mentioned.

However her favourite factor about journey is being along with her household. Pompeo has three kids—Stella Luna, 15, Sienna Might, 10, and Eli Christopher, 8—with husband Chris Ivery. Pompeo mentioned she is a little bit of a nervous flier, particularly recently, and although she appreciates that pilots are popping out and making an attempt to talk extra to passengers about anticipated turbulence, she nonetheless loves having her household there as her predominant type of help. “I like to carry my youngsters’ fingers once I take off, which might be slightly egocentric, they usually’re most likely feeling my nervousness, which most likely is not the perfect factor to do,” she mentioned.

And as soon as they get to the vacation spot, Pompeo is a cheerful camper. “I like any sort of journey so long as my youngsters are with me. I get slightly bit anxious once I journey for work with out my youngsters, however once we’re all collectively, we attempt to do all of it and provides them a superb combine (of kinds of journeys). It is a privilege to have the ability to journey with these youngsters and produce them locations, so I attempt to simply have a number of gratitude for that and present them as a lot as I can.“ The entire household went to Hawaii for Stella’s fifteenth birthday, and when Pompeo was doing press for her new Hulu miniseries Good American Household, she took her daughters to London and Paris. “Should you’re fortunate sufficient to have the chance to journey with youngsters, it is the perfect training there’s, as a result of I do not know who’s utilizing algebra of their each day lives.”

Touring with household can take extra group, so Pompeo’s technique is to be a minimal packer. She says her husband, who she says is normally the perfect dressed within the room, typically tells her she must pack extra for journeys. “And I am like, ‘No, no, I need fewer choices!’ And he is like, ‘You want extra choices.’ And so I am all the time making an attempt to get him to pack much less, and he is all the time making an attempt to get me to pack extra.”