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Anne Heche allegedly went to extreme lengths to protect her privacy. A former Entertainment Tonight producer claims the late actress had an interview tape dumped in a New York City sewer to hide her romance with Ellen DeGeneres. The shocking allegation emerges from a newly published memoir just breaking today.
🔥 Quick Facts
- The Interview: 1998 Psycho remake press junket at St. Regis hotel suite in Manhattan
- The Tape: Producer Fran Weinstein recorded Heche discussing rumored on-set romance with Vince Vaughn
- The Claim: Heche instructed someone in her entourage to discard tape in NYC sewer, per Weinstein’s account
- The Denial: Heche’s manager called account inaccurate, says narrative contradicts her memory
The 1998 St. Regis Hotel Confrontation
In April 1998, former Entertainment Tonight producer Fran Weinstein was interviewing Anne Heche at a Manhattan luxury hotel. The actress was promoting the Psycho remake, which co-starred Vince Vaughn. Heche had recently begun dating Ellen DeGeneres, and the relationship was new and fragile. Weinstein asked about rumors of an on-set romance with Vaughn.
Heche’s reaction was immediate and visceral. Her jaw dropped, and she begged Weinstein not to air the question. According to Weinstein’s account in her new memoir “Tortured Soles: High Heels, Low Expectations and the Hollywood Gossip Mill,” Heche said, “I don’t want you to talk about it. I don’t want my girlfriend to know about it.” The interview continued for 15 more minutes about holiday plans with DeGeneres.
Anne Heche allegedly dumped interview tape in NYC sewer to hide Ellen romance
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Escalating Demands and the Missing Tape
After the interview ended, Heche repeatedly warned Weinstein not to use the Vince Vaughn segment. Weinstein assured her she wouldn’t. But Heche wasn’t satisfied. As the crew packed up, a studio publicist appeared demanding the tape. Weinstein refused. Then Heche’s personal publicist arrived with threats of blacklisting.
Heche then confronted Weinstein directly in the elevator. “I’m wagging my finger in her face,” Weinstein recalled. “‘You’re not getting the tape.’ She starts screaming at me: ‘You don’t respect me! You don’t respect my girlfriend!'” The shouting match moved back to the suite at the St. Regis, where Heche chain-smoked while Weinstein sprayed lavender to ease tension. Exhausted, Weinstein lay down on her bed. That’s when the tape vanished.
Timeline of Events
| Event | Details |
| April 1998 | Heche interviewed by Weinstein at St. Regis, Manhattan |
| Same Day | Tape allegedly stolen from Weinstein’s suite |
| 1998 | Incident made New York gossip pages but faded from public memory |
| April 28, 2026 | Weinstein publishes memoir revealing sewer disposal claim |
“I just felt like this wind came over me,” Weinstein told Fox News Digital. “It was like a ghost had been in the room. I looked up, and she’s gone. And guess what? My tape is gone.” When Weinstein burst into Heche’s suite screaming, the actress replied coolly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Heche and her team rushed to the airport before police could be called.
“Years later, I was told by a pretty good source that she had instructed this person in her entourage to throw the tape into a New York City sewer. She seemed to have no recollection of anything.”
— Fran Weinstein, Retired Entertainment Tonight Producer
The Denial and Long-Held Silence
At the time, Heche’s representative issued a statement claiming the actress “finished the interview, never left with the tape and doesn’t have it now.” The incident made Page Six headlines but largely faded from public consciousness. For nearly three decades, Weinstein kept the story private, unsure what truly happened to her tape. Recently, she was told by a source that Heche had ordered someone in her entourage to dispose of the tape in a NYC sewer.
Today, Heche’s manager responded to the allegations through Fox News Digital, calling Weinstein’s account “inaccurate” and “disappointing.” The statement read: “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.”
Could This Reveal a Pattern of Secrecy?
The incident offers insight into Heche’s desperation to keep her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres spotless. The pair dated from 1997 to 2000, and their public romance faced intense scrutiny and backlash in the late 1990s. Heche later claimed that her relationship with DeGeneres cost her a multimillion-dollar film deal and effectively blacklisted her from Hollywood for years.
Weinstein, now retired, emphasizes that Anne Heche was a talented actress. But this story paints a picture of someone willing to go to extreme lengths to control her narrative. Her memoir, released April 28, 2026, promises more insider details from her 20+ year career covering entertainment news. Heche herself passed away in August 2022 at age 53 following a car crash in Los Angeles.
Sources
- Fox News – Original exclusive reporting on Fran Weinstein allegations and Heche’s response
- Page Six – Comprehensive account of St. Regis incident and sewer disposal theory
- AOL Entertainment – Breaking news coverage of memoir revelations
