Anne Heche is currently in a coma in critical condition in the ICU. Previous reports from her rep that she was stable were incorrect. As we heard yesterday, police have obtained a warrant to use blood previously drawn by the hospital for a potential DUI case against her. Anne was involved in both a high speed crash into a home, which was destroyed, and an earlier hit and run at a garage. There were no fatalities and Anne was the only person injured in the crashes.
A now-deleted episode of Anne’s podcast, Better Together, was released on Friday the day of the crash. Anne and her co-host, Heather Duffy, admitted drinking vodka and wine that day. The podcast’s producer, Ryan Tillotson, has stated that it was recorded on Tuesday, not Friday, and was removed to “due to inaccurate reporting.”
Anne’s friend Heather and Anne’s oldest son, Homer, 20, visited her at the hospital on Monday, where she remains in a coma. (Anne also has a 13-year-old son, Atlas.) Heather told reporters that she did not see Anne on Friday and said that the podcast was recorded on Tuesday.
Duffy says she did not see Heche on the day of the accident.
Duffy is Heche’s co-host on their podcast, “Better Together with Anne Heche and Heather Duffy.”
She also clarified that her most recent podcast episode with Heche, where the two women “drank vodka” and “wine chasers,” was recorded the Tuesday before the accident.
En route to her car, Duffy was asked about Heche’s status. She looked downcast but shared, “We’re hoping she’s going to be alright.”
Although Heche was previously described as stable, her representative told Fox News Digital that she “has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident.”
The rep also stated that Heche is in “extreme critical condition” and has “a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention.”
I’m uncomfortable with a lot of the reporting around this story. While I don’t feel particularly sympathetic to Heche, she’s seriously injured and in a coma. If she pulls through she will surely have a difficult, painful recovery. I do believe in prosecuting drunk drivers to the full extent of the law and think that should happen here. Also I highly recommend sobriety to everyone. If you have ever wondered if you have a problem, do everything you can to quit drinking and using.
Anne and Heather in September, 2021
This photo is from February, 2022
Header photo is from September, 2020. Photos credit: Backgrid
Some people just got way too focused on this podcast. Most people who abuse alcohol or drugs don’t just do it on one day of the week or during certain activities. The results from the blood draw will tell soon enough whether substances were involved, but at the very least, high speed and reckless driving were, and regardless the outcome is that it will honestly be a miracle if she survives this. It’s horrifying to think of what that almost-hour she was trapped in that car must’ve been like.
Does anyone know how many DUI’s she has been charged with? I ask because it will matter when she goes to trial for this latest incident. I think she will do time and she will lose her driver’s license forever. She will probably be taken to trial for property damage as well. I just don’t understand how someone affluent enough to call an Uber every time she drinks and uses does not. I still feel lots of compassion for her because she most likely will have to bear disfiguring scars for the rest of her life.
I doubt she’ll serve time. Even if a judge were to sentence her, if she survives her medical needs will be too acute for any jail/prison for quite some time.
That’s part of the general problem with car and car culture: you shouldn’t be allowed to more than 1 DUI. You get caught driving under the influence, you lose your licence. Forever. Driving is a privilege and if you absolutely need to drive for your work, due to where you live, etc. then think about that before taking the wheels while drunk/high. There are other ways to commute, especially when you live in a city and have financial means.
The stats as told to me after I was hit by a drunk driver 2 years ago.. you can bet they had driven under the influence at least 100 times before they got caught. Which I believe having known an alcoholic.
Absolutely. Which is why the privilege of driving should be taken right away. I know someone who is required to have an alcohol test device in their car after having been caught twice and they still manage to drive other devices (scooters, etc) while drunk, it’s frustrating, what a freakin moron! It makes me even angrier because one of my friends was killed by a drunk driver. But driving is considered such a fundamental right that even thinking of taking a licence away is seen like blasphemy
I concurr
This is another reason why we need to focus on building housing in walkable neighborhoods in the US. Enough that it can be an affordable option. People are convicted of DUIs and get to keep their license to “drive to work” because they cannot earn an income without being able to drive a car.
Also an argument for work from home policies.
Another issue is that the “legally drunk” blood level is set very low, in order to catch more drunk drivers. Even the people who started MADD are saying that we need to really focus enforcement on the very drunk people and those with multiple convictions. It’s how US policing screws up by not being able to punish the powerful local assholes who drive drunk all the time, so they lower the BA level to where many women will measure as drunk with one drink. And the blotto crowd hires fancy lawyers and keeps the party flowing.
I had a cousin that survived a horrific car accident such as Ann’s. He had burns 3rd and 4 th degree burns and never made it out of the burn unit. He was hospitalized and going thru surgery after surgery on machines for 13 months (I think it was that long). I know everyone was amazed he lived that long.. but my Aunt couldn’t let him go.. she had lost her oldest son just months earlier to cancer. Thankfully no one else was hurt in Ann’s accident. The fact that machines are breathing for her tells me she has a horrific fight ahead of her if she if wakes up. I won’t judge her.. I will just pray for her.
I can’t stop thinking about this situation. I haven’t thought about Anne Heche in years, but this is the ultimate “but for the grace of … there go I.” Many of us here have struggled with trauma and addiction. I will admit right now that I have in my life planned nights of heavy drinking/bar hopping, etc. I’ve always made plans for transportation, though. Pre ride sharing, I’d plan on taxis. Budget for it. I’m not proud. I’ve done damage to myself, made a fool of myself, been hurtful to others when I was drinking. And could have potentially been hurt physically or blacked out somewhere scary. I’m admitting all this because driving drunk is a whole different thing. It takes premeditation (or deliberate lack of pre planning). And I’m angry about it.
Brava! Exactly how I feel. But see the difference? Addicts don’t plan ahead.
I agree. I’m German and in general, out alcohol consumption is off the charts. As a country. So it’s pretty normal to drink and drink a lot. I have never planned on getting drunk but of course I’ve known that certain nights would involve alcohol and we always – ALWAYS – had a designated driver in the group. Or, now that we can afford it, we just take a taxi or Uber. I’ve made it a rule from day one of having my license to never drink when I’m driving that day. Not a sip. It’s just a slippery slope and there are days when I’m tired, I haven’t eaten, it’s hot outside and then one glass of wine sends me into lala land. I was the disgnated driver at my sister’s wedding and I toasted wtih water.
I never understood the “But I can have one glass.” crowd. Maybe you can. But do you have to??? It’s just not worth it.
Addiction is awful and I’m very thankful that it’s not something I’ve ever struggled with. But it’s not an excuse to be a dick. Just don’t get behind the wheel.
ETA: I lied. I planned on getting drunk on my 30th birthday and when I got my M.A. LOL
I mean, there are clear photos of Anne with a vodka bottle in the front cupholder of her car. We don’t know if it was from that day, but it’s reasonable to assume she’s driven under the influence before.
I don’t wish horrible things on her, but I can be absolutely disgusted with this behavior. The videos of her driving through neighborhoods at dangerous speeds are chilling. She absolutely could have killed innocent people.
As a person with more than one alcoholic in my family, I’ve had a front seat to the ugly selfishness of the disease. I’ve seen how impaired a person’s thinking can be, and how they can turn into someone you don’t recognize no matter what love or resources you offer them. I’ve also learned that most people need a rock bottom before they can put down the shovel and stop digging the hole. Hopefully this will be it for Anne.
I am 100% sober because I’ve seen what alcohol can do to others, and I’ve found it so awful and traumatizing that I have no desire to drink it myself anymore, even socially.
My feelings about all this are made much simpler by the fact that there no one else was injured, thank god. The woman who lost her home must be devastated and traumatized, but that’s what insurance (Anne’s) and lawsuits are for.
To be clear, those feelings are pity and empathy for a person suffering from the mental illness of addiction and perhaps other mental illnesses as well. She is, however, responsible her her own actions. There are consequences, physical and legal. May god help her.
+1 agree. There’s $100k in a go fund me so her victim has immediate compensation while the insurance claims and lawsuits get started.
There are endless what if comments about more victims but the reality is that there was no one else physically injured, thankfully, and Anne is suffering the ultimate punishment short of (and I’d argue worse than) death. The calls for legal prosecution at this moment seem callous to me. She hasn’t run off living her best life free from accountability. If she’s even mentally there, her mind is trapped in a painful prison. She may die. That’s hellish. That’s punishment. Life has held her accountable.
Was it a selfish choice, yes. Reckless, dangerous, selfish all those things. I also see it as tragic and heartbreaking.
There won’t be any insurance from Anne, she won’t be covered. Speeding, reckless driving (even before they get to whether she was intoxicated) will mean she’s personally liable not the insurer. It’s going to be messy. Such an awful situation all round.
What would be the point in requiring car insurance if they didn’t have to cover accidents caused by negligence on the part of the driver?
In most states, a car insurer can’t deny a collision or comprehensive claim, whether you were driving under the influence or not.
There’s no way CA of all states would let car insurance companies off the hook like that.
Criminal behavior doesn’t absolve the insurance company. She’ll be uninsurable after this but her insurance will be paying what’s due here.
Mia
Insurance does pay when their policy holder breaks the law. They paid me when a drunk driver hit me and drove away while wasted. He blew over a 2.
They may never Insure that person again or raise the rates unbelievable high.
this is really downplaying the damage done to other people’s lives. like just have insurance cover it, no problem. it is obviously way more complex than that and much more traumatic to everyone whose life was put in danger. dealing with insurance claims is a freaking nightmare and takes forever, and that’s just a small piece of the overall impact.
We all have items in our homes that are not replaceable. Photo albums, that little piece of our children’s umbilical cord, baby’s ultra sound, a gift from a now deceased parent, the list goes on. That $100k in the go fund me will enable that woman to find a new place to leave and buy new furniture and clothes and so forth but cannot replace all that she has lost.
I hear and agree with those that think Anne should be prosecuted if it she was DUI-ing but, as I look at these photos of her pre-accident I can’t help but feel extemely sad for her. From what we have heard, from her own foolish actions of a matter of minutes, she is irreparably and very possibly, fatally injured. She will never be the same. She has sustained agonisingly painful burns that will require more agony and surgery to treat. Her career is over. She can, currently, not breathe on her own due to the inside of her lungs being scorched. She may always require mechanical ventilation, which, I can tell you from my own experience, is terrifyingly traumatic and brings with it a host of other complications that see you at constant risk of drowning in your own fluids.
Whatever she was running from that day or even if she was trying to actually kill herself, what she has succeeded in doing is placing herself in a hell on earth.
This is so well said. Such a tragic situation for all involved. Hoping all the folks affected and traumatized by this have good support networks and get the help they need as well.
Your empathy for Anne at this time is very commendable. This is NOT the time to judge her but to show her mercy. She may not even survive this incident.
Someone I loved very much was in a tragic explosion accident two years ago. For 5-6 days she was in critical but stable condition but by the time it reached a week it was too much for her body and we lost her. That extensive amount of burn is so much for the body to overcome.
We should prosecute people drinking and driving. This is so sad. My heart is broken for her her 13 year old son.
After she is taken to the cleaners for property damage, there will not be any money left to support her 13 year old son and that is really sad.
His dad is James Tupper, a fairly busy actor, so I’m sure he will continue to support him, but yeah, I think Anne’s estate is going to be completely wiped out by this when all is said and done. If she survives, her own medical and legal expenses will be astronomical.
I feel so badly for both of Anne’s children. What a terrible thing to go through.
I didn’t know about the 13 year old until today and I agree that’s where the major sympathy should be focused. No matter what happens now, his life is forever changed and impacted by this. And publicly so. His schoolmates all know what’s happening as soon as he does, which is just an added hardship to a situation already beyond the emotional development of a young adolescent.
I love the nuance to the discussion on this site. There are some places that are bashing her mercilessly. Other places where if anyone says a bad word then they are cruel and bashing an addict. As this site proves, it can be both.
Heche deserves all the bashing for her reckless behavior. If she was trying to kill herself, then there is no need to risk taking someone else with you. Selfish drunk. At the same time, we know that she has dealt with mental health issues for the entirety of her career. I don’t know enough about her to know of how they developed, trauma, etc. I do know that she deserves compassion for that and for the horror she endured as a result of her own horrific actions. I can’t begin to imagine what that time was like, stuck in a car in a burning building.
Human beings an hold more than one thought in our head. I can think Heche is a horribly selfish person who if she was trying to kill herself, did a piss poor job of it and make it much more difficult than it needed to be. I can also think “that poor woman” and wonder what she must have been going through to lead her to this decision and action and have sympathy for the unimaginable horror she must have experienced as a result. I hope she recovers, not so she can be charged and do time, but so that she can be with her family and loved ones and be able to take responsibility and move forward.
I very much agree, this is the only site online where I ready any comments, never mind participate. Particularly though the pandemic this site has come to mean a lot to me.
I also second your comments about Anne, so many people have been hurt here and need support in moving on with their lives.
There are many stories, this one included, where I avoid all comment threads except CB.
Extremely well said
Sorry but this just feels like CYA to me on behalf of the cohost.
I too feel that. There seems to be some covering up of tracks going on here. Nonetheless, it is a horrible tragedy and what her family must be going through is indescribably sad.
Yes there does. I saw it reported on several news sites that the podcast was the same day and it’s now all been scrubbed. Hard to believe multiple outlets would get that wrong. The podcast peeps are trying to avoid any legal stuff.
I doubt it, very few podcasts release the same day they are recorded, unless they are a “daily podcast”. I think the co-host and producer are being truthful, but want to be clear they hold no responsibility for watching her drink and then leave, so I suppose a bit of CYA.
Well, I’m certain that some forensic computer investigation can determine when that podcast was actually recorded. And those two women wouldn’t have been the only two in the studio. Even if they record in their respective houses, there’s still going to be an engineer & maybe a producer as part of the podcast.
It’s pretty common for podcasts to be released days after they record. I don’t think people realize how much producing goes in to them, even small ones cut out dead air and irrelevant content to keep pace. That being said, my thoughts are the podcast was removed out of respect because they were drinking while recording. Even though it wasn’t recorded that day, it automatically would come under scrutiny and the cohost doesn’t want harassment over something they were not directly involved in.
People keep harping on the fact she’s in a coma. I’m a nurse. She’s in a medically induced coma because she’s on a ventilator. It’s the same for people with COVID on a ventilator. We don’t say COVID patients in the ICU are in a coma, we say they are on a ventilator. Anyone on a ventilator is in a medically induced coma otherwise they would fight because they would feel the tubes down their throat. I feel like they are reporting it this way to try and build sympathy for her. She might not have been drinking at the podcast, but a bottle of alcohol was pictured in her car before the wreck. I think we should have empathy for addiction, but the narrative they are driving with this coma stuff gives me major white privilege vibes.
Serious question for the medical peeps on here: Is Anne being on a ventilator the equivalent of her being on life support?
I know a ton of people were on ventilators during COVID – – but I don’t know if there is more than one kind of ventilator/ventilation? Would you say folks on vents during COVID were on life support?
During the height of COVID, I remember reading that many people were on vents to help give their lungs a break/chance to heal (which is presumably way, way higher than for Anne’s lungs)? Is that different from Anne’s situation, which may be that she’s on a vent because, but for the vent, she would die – as in “pull the plug” situations?
A matter of degrees, I suppose, but we learned so much and so little about being on a ventilator during COVID, that I’m not sure what, if any, differences there might be re being on one in this case?
Not a medical peep but I’m assuming her lungs are pretty burnt from smoke inhalation. So just like COVID they also need to heal. (Pure guessing on my part)
@andi, to answer your question, yes, a ventilator is life support.
I stress I am NOT a medical person but I have been on mechanical ventilation. It’s an invasive (for the patient) and intensive (for the nursing staff) process that comes with a host of other dangers including the risk of infection and pneumonia – both of which I got whilst vented. Physio staff have to keep treating you to clear the lungs of mucus and secretions you are not able to clear yourself and which would drown you if left. In short, it’s not something you do to a patient unless absolutely necessary. They vent you only when you are not able to breathe well enough yourself to survive or avoid oxygen deprivation damage. So, yes, in that sense it is supporting life but there will be other machines in play which are also necessary to keep someone alive so a ventilator isn’t the entirety of ‘life support’.
My mother on A ventilator during COVID was life support. It was doing her breathing. Once we shut it off she slowly died. We had no other option. The rest of her organs had started shutting down and not functioning. Her body was dying even on the vent. But the vent was doing her breathing. 🙁
Yes to the smoke inhalation. (I’m a retired pharmacist). Plus, she likely has 3rd degree burns over most of her body-lots of skin grafts, lots of pain and risk for infection, plus she will be disfigured. That’s a hard reality all patients with severe burns must face.
I know the prosecuting attorney needs to hop on the toxicology screen from the hospital before her body metabolizes the drugs and alcohol that were on board when she crashed, but talking about prosecution is premature, I think. Just tuck those toxicology results in her file and see what happens.
Really, is she even going to survive this?
I’m a nurse and yes, anyone who is on a vent is in a medically induced coma. Exactly the same as a COVID patient. She has lots of burns and likely damaged her lungs requiring ventilation. But them pushing her being in a coma rather than on a ventilator is suspect to me. Anyone on a vent is technically in a coma. I feel like they are trying to build sympathy for her by saying she’s in a coma rather than on a vent due to serious burns and lung damage. They want us to feel bad for her but for unvaccinated COVID patients the narrative is they are on a vent. It’s the same thing. Most patients in the ICU require a vent, hence why they are in the ICU.
I was on a vent for a total of six weeks and only in a coma for two of them. Even when I had relearned to breathe on my own during the day I had to go back on the vent at night due to the danger of sleep apnoea. Additionally I know of people with high level spinal injuries who are permanently vented so they are not always hand in hand.
Frankly though, given how horrific her injuries, holding her in a medically induced coma while they try and stabilise her, makes sense. I’m not sure I buy ‘coma=sympathy” so not sure why someone would push that as an ‘angle’?
totally agree w/ @The Hench. I’ve been on a ventilator twice and cannot have anymore surgeries period. My last time on ventilator I almost did not come off and it damaged my lungs more. But the ventilator was doing my breathing for me. I was lucky my lung function gained what strength it did (not due to COVID but my illnesses.. never had COVID Mut my mom died of it once we had to shut off the Ventilator because her kidneys and other organs shut down as well).
I loved her in Six Days and Seven Nights with Harrison Ford. That’s one of my favorite movies I can watch again and again. I feel badly for her that her life has been such a mess, and for it to culminate in the messiest of messes.
I’m glad the woman in the house, and her pets, weren’t injured. This is the sort of thing you just can’t plan for in life, for someone else’s carelessness to wipe out your security.
I love that movie too.
As someone who has openly struggled with alcoholism, I can tell from these more recent photos that she was not doing well.
I know a woman who got busted for seven (7!) DWIs/DUIs before she was finally sent to Texas state prison for a measly two years. She served six months. Six months after she got out she was busted for assault. She was drunk when it happened. She paid a small fine.
Did I mention she’s a cute, blonde, middle class white woman?
DWI/DUI laws are a joke.
It’s true the maximum most people can even face for vehicular manslaughter under the influence is 7-10 years. The max! You murder someone not driving and get life. I get that addiction is a disease as I also suffer from it and I do know that jail is not the place for addicts…but sometimes our choices have consequences and someone being drunk and killing people should not be a slap on the wrist.
Love the sinner but hate the sin.
Sadly, first toxicology reports found cocaine and fentanyl in her bloodwork. Alcohol doesn’t seem to have been an issue. Things are dire, she may not survive.