Anne Heche’s Protective Stance on Her Relationship with Ellen DeGeneres
Anne Heche was known for being very protective of her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, according to former Entertainment Tonight producer Fran Weinstein. In a recent interview promoting her new book, Tortured Soles, Weinstein shared an anecdote about a tense encounter she had with the late actress over an interview that touched on rumors of a past romantic involvement.
Weinstein recounted how she asked Heche about her experience working with Vince Vaughn during the 1998 remake of Psycho. At the time, Heche was dating DeGeneres, and the conversation took an unexpected turn.
The Interview That Went Wrong
“After asking the perfunctory questions, I asked her, ‘How much fun was it to reunite with Vince Vaughn?’” Weinstein recalled. “Because they had just done a movie before that. And she said, ‘Oh, it was really fun. He was awesome.’ Then her eyes opened like a sinkhole because she saw I was going further.”
Weinstein continued, “And so I said, ‘Well, rumor had it that you guys were an item while making the movie.’” She described how Heche’s reaction was immediate and intense.
“She had just gotten together with Ellen DeGeneres,” Weinstein explained. “Their romance was new, and I guess she just did not want anything to muddy the waters, shall we say.”
A Tense Exchange
“We moved on and discussed Heche’s Christmas plans with DeGeneres,” Weinstein said. However, she soon realized the Emmy winner was unhappy with the interview.
“She gets up, walks to the door, we say thanks and goodbye,” said Weinstein. “She whips her head around and says to me, ‘I don’t want you to use that stuff about me and Vince Vaughn.’ I said, ‘No problem. I told you I wouldn’t. Have a nice day.’”
But the situation escalated when the studio publicist arrived at the door, requesting the tape from the interview.
The Demand for the Tape
“The crew and I are now packing up, and I hear a knock at the door. It’s the studio publicist. She goes, ‘Fran, she wants the tape.’ I said, ‘What? That’s not happening. We don’t do that. That’s my notebook. Just tell her it’s all good. I’m moving on. I’m not using the stuff about Vince Vaughn.’”
The publicist returned again, this time with Heche’s personal publicist, who insisted on retrieving the tape.
“I said, ‘She’s not getting the tape, OK? This is a dangerous precedent, and we’re not setting it now.’ He said, ‘If you don’t give her the tape, you’ll never get another interview with her again.’ And I said, ‘I don’t care.’ I slammed the door.”
A Confrontation in the Hotel Suite
“We get to the elevators, and [out came] Anne Heche,” she said. “I’m wagging my finger in her face: ‘You’re not getting the tape.’ She starts screaming at me: ‘You don’t respect me! You don’t respect my girlfriend!’”
The women allegedly got into a screaming match inside Weinstein’s St. Regis hotel suite in New York City, where the interview had just taken place. Weinstein claimed she sprayed Heche with a lavender scent as the actress chain-smoked.
Eventually, she lied down on her bed, which she called her “fatal mistake.”
“I just felt like this wind came over me,” said Weinstein. “It was like a ghost had been in the room. I looked up, and she’s gone. And guess what? My tape is gone.”
The Police Were Called
Weinstein went after Heche, threatening to call the police while a studio publicist pleaded with her to stop because “it’ll get in the papers.” After barging into Heche’s suite and demanding she return the tape, the Six Days, Seven Nights star allegedly told Weinstein, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Weinstein said she alerted the police, but Heche and her team were already en route back to Hollywood. A rep for the actress reportedly insisted at the time that Heche “never left with the tape and doesn’t have it now.”
Heche’s Manager Disputes the Story
Years later, Weinstein claimed she was told by a reliable source that Heche had instructed someone in her entourage to throw the tape into a New York City sewer.
However, Heche’s manager responded to the claims, stating: “That account is inaccurate. It’s disappointing to see untrue narratives circulate at a time when honesty and respect should come first. The focus should be on honoring her memory, not rewriting it to sell books.”
Heche passed away in 2022 at age 53 following a fiery car crash in Los Angeles.
