Anne Heche claims she was ‘blacklisted’ by Hollywood over Ellen relationship

Heche and Ellen Degeneres were in a relationship between 1997 and 2000

Anne Heche has claimed she was “blacklisted” by Hollywood for her relationship with comedian and talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres.

Actor, Heche, and DeGeneres dated between 1997 and 2000 and the Donnie Brasco star says her career took a downturn after the couple went public with their relationship.

Heche told Page Six that she felt like “patient zero in cancel culture”.

Heche then claimed that after her and DeGeneres attended the premiere of Volcano together, the big studios stopped casting her: “I didn’t do a studio picture for 10 years. I was fired from a $10 million (£7.2m) picture deal and did not see the light of day in a studio picture.”

Heche also accused Fox of trying to back out of hiring her for romantic comedy, Six Days, Seven Nights but co-star Harrison Ford stepped in: “He said, ‘Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn who you’re sleeping with, we have a romantic comedy to make. Let’s make it the best one that’s ever happened.’”

She added: “That is why Harrison Ford is my hero. To stand behind me at such a time when the force of what I was standing up for could have been toppled.”

Despite the repercussions on her career, Heche says she has no regrets over going public with DeGeneres: “Those repercussions that happened, are to me what has created a part of the change. I’m a part of it. It is a badge of honor.”

Heche got her start in daytime soap, Another World before moving on to movies such as the remake of Psycho and the critically acclaimed Wag the Dog.

Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche (Shutterstock / Featureflash Photo Agency)

She also became prolific in TV, appearing in such shows as Hung, Men in Trees and Save Me.