Money changes everything in Chris Ivery affair story

The father of Rachel Artz is defending his daughter, claiming she knows Ellen Pompeo's husband, but didn't have an affair with him. Blake Artz told us yesterday that Star magazine got it wrong when it reported that his 19-year-old daughter carried on a three-month affair with Chris Ivery. "It's all malarky, totally erroneous," said Artz, who added that the magazine offered his daughter $5,000 for her story. "They just went and messed with the wrong person." Stars claims Rachel Artz, a 2008 graduate of Whitman Hanson Regional High School who works at Bricco and Umbria, has admitted to the affair. They even quote her saying: "Yes, I had sexual relations with Chris." Not so, insists her dad. "There's not one bit of photographic evidence," he said. Meanwhile, the folks at Gossip Cop have obtained an e-mail Artz allegedly wrote Aug. 25 that reads: “I talked to Star Magazine and they were trying to offer me $20,000 for information about Chris. That is ridiculous because nothing is true about us having a relationship.”

Update: This whole thing got us thinking about Ellen's episode on "Punk'd." Here it is.

Caption: Ellen Pompeo and Kate Walsh, Chris Ivery and Taye Diggs attend Tao Nightclub's three year anniversary celebration in The Venetian Hotel and Casino Resort on November 8, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/WireImage)