Anne Heche Demanded Tape After Tense Interview, Producer Recalls in Memoir

Fran Weinstein learned firsthand how far Anne Heche would go to shield her new romance with Ellen DeGeneres.

The retired Entertainment Tonight producer details the clash in her memoir, "Tortured Soles." In 1998, Weinstein interviewed Heche about the remake of Psycho, co-starring Vince Vaughn. Heche was dating DeGeneres at the time, but rumors swirled of an on-set fling with Vaughn, Weinstein wrote.

"After asking the perfunctory questions, I asked her, ‘How much fun was it to reunite with Vince Vaughn?’" Weinstein told Fox News Digital. "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."

"And so I said, ‘Well, rumor had it that you guys were an item while making the movie,’" Weinstein recalled. "Oh, my God. Her jaw dropped to the floor, and she said, ‘I don’t want you to talk about it. I don’t want anybody to know about this. I don’t want my girlfriend to know about it.’"

"She had just gotten together with Ellen DeGeneres," Weinstein said. "Their romance was new, and I guess she just did not want anything to muddy the waters."

Heche insisted Weinstein drop the topic. The producer agreed and shifted to Heche's Christmas plans with DeGeneres for another 15 minutes. As Weinstein's crew packed up in the St. Regis hotel suite in New York City, Heche demanded the tape.

The studio publicist relayed the request. Weinstein refused, calling it her notebook. Heche's personal publicist followed, warning of no future interviews. Weinstein slammed the door.

At the elevators, Heche confronted her. Weinstein wagged her finger: "You’re not getting the tape." Heche screamed, "You don’t respect me! You don’t respect my girlfriend!"

The argument escalated as Heche chain-smoked and Weinstein spritzed lavender scent. Exhausted, Weinstein lay on her bed. She felt a wind, looked up and saw Heche gone -- along with the tape.

Weinstein chased her down the hall, threatening police. The studio publicist urged her to stop to avoid headlines. Weinstein kicked open Heche's suite door and found her getting makeup done.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Heche replied.

By the time police were called, Heche and her team had flown to Hollywood. A rep told Page Six that Heche finished the interview, never took the tape and did not have it. Weinstein never recovered it. Years later, a source claimed Heche's entourage tossed it in a New York City sewer.

Heche's manager disputed the account to Fox News Digital: "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."

The Emmy winner died in 2022 at age 53 from injuries in a Los Angeles car crash ruled accidental.

Weinstein shared another celebrity tale from the mid-1990s. Judge Judy star Judith Sheindlin invited Entertainment Tonight into her Tudor-style Connecticut home. After the cameras stopped, Weinstein asked for a setup.

"Frannie, you don’t need a man. I’m going to show you what you need. Follow me," Sheindlin replied.

In her bedroom, Sheindlin retrieved a shoebox-shaped item from atop Italian linens: a .32-caliber pistol.

"Frannie, this is what you need," Sheindlin said. "Jerry was gone for the weekend. I had this under my pillow, and I slept like a baby."

"OK, no further questions, your honor," Weinstein replied. She did not take the advice.