The fallout in Anne Heche’s family following her sad demise in August has been intensifying, as her ex-husband James Tupper contests for the late actress’ estate against her 20-year-old son, Homer Laffoon.
It continues a sad and tragic family history for Heche, who is now survived by only one out of four other siblings. Her father also died when the future Emmy Award winner was only 14, with the actress later saying that he had been abusive towards her and her elder brother Nate when they were kids.
Eerily, Nate died in a car crash three months after their father passed away – the same way that Heche herself would perish all these years later. She often expressed her belief that her brother died of suicide, not by accidentally falling asleep at the wheel as was officially reported.
Apart from that dark history – and of course the stellar work that she did on the screen, Heche will also be remembered for her controversial relationship with Ellen DeGeneres.
Ellen is of course now happily married to Portia de Rossi, a situation that wouldn’t have happened had the latter heeded Heche’s reported advice.
What Happened Between Anne Heche And Ellen DeGeneres?
Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres first met at a Vanity Fair Oscars party in 1997, which happened to be one of the best years of the former’s acting career. Within those 12 months, she starred in four movies, all of which turned out to be blockbusters: Donnie Brasco, Volcano, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Wag the Dog.
Things took off pretty fast between her and Ellen, and they started to date in the same year. The relationship became so serious between them that they are said to have explored the possibility of getting married in a civil union, if it was legalized in the state of Vermont.
That was not to be, however, as trouble began to brew in paradise. Heche would go on to star alongside Harrison Ford in Six Days, Seven Nights in 1998, but said that that was the last time a major studio agreed to work with her for the decade that followed.
Whether this was the motivation for their split or not, Heche soon dumped Ellen and started seeing a videographer called Coleman Lafoon, who had been on the comedian’s tour team in 2000.
Anne Heche Said That Portia de Rossi Asked For Advice Before Getting Together With Ellen
Following their breakup, Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres released a joint statement which read, in part: “It is an amicable parting and we greatly value the 3 1/2 years we have spent together.”
As time passed, however, it became apparent that Ellen had been caught quite off guard by Heche’s decision to go separate ways. She was even quoted in an interview later on saying, “She walked out the door and I haven't spoken to her since, I don't have the answers.”
Ellen would go on to date photographer Alexandra Hedison for about four years, before she met and fell in love with future wife, Portia de Rossi.
In 2021, during an episode of her Better Together podcast with Heather Duffy, Heche said that her old Ally McBeal co-star had approached her for advice before getting together with Ellen. She also went on to explain exactly what she reportedly told Portia in that conversation.
What Did Anne Heche Tell Portia About Dating Ellen?
Page Six News ran the story about Anne Heche’s exposé on the Better Together podcast. Speaking about her said encounter with Portia de Rossi, the former star of Another World insisted that Ellen’s would-be girlfriend was worried about becoming a “poster-child” for gay relationships at the time.
“I warned Portia,” said Heche. “[She] even asked me about Ellen before she came to my wedding [to Coleman Laffoon], and said, ‘I’m gonna go after Ellen.”
About the probability of gaining unwanted attention, she added: “You won’t be the poster child, girl. Because guess what? That poster child has already been taken, and by the way, it wasn’t a great spot. But yours ain’t gonna be any easier. And I’m telling you now, like, red flag, red flag, red flag!”
Portia clearly ignored this advice, or at least thought she was capable enough to navigate the apparent red flags that she was warned about. Heche, however, piled on her in the interview, comparing her to a Porsche.
“I realized that Ellen drove a Porsche... and then she married one,” Heche jabbed. “All she used to do was drive Porsches and she collected them, and I just thought it was so stupid because they were so loud.”
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