We’ve previously blogged about celebrities like The Game, Russell Brand and Wes Bentley who have been denied entry to Canada, as well as celebrities such as pastor Terry Jones, Amy Winehouse, Boy George and Lily Allen who have been denied entry to the United States (at one time or another, as some of these bans have been lifted).
While anyone can be denied entry to Canada or the United States for a variety of different reasons, primarily a criminal history or criminal record, the reality is that a number of huge celebrities have been banned from countries all over the world – not just for criminal reasons, but for reasons that can seem really insignificant!
Flavourwire recently posted this great map of countries that celebrities have been banned from different countries for a variety of reasons.
For example, did you know that both Paris Hilton and the Rolling Stones have been banned and denied permission to play (respectively) in Japan because of both parties’ drug convictions in the United States? Martha Stewart and Chris Brown are also banned in the UK for their criminal histories in the US.
Criminality is not the only reason people can be banned. Conservative Indonesia banned Lady Gaga from entering and playing a concert because her music was considered to be suggestive and immoral.
Offending a country’s government or culture can also result in a celebrity being denied, as can supporting policies or organizations that are contradictory with a country’s politics.
Miley Cyrus was banned in China for allegedly making a racist gesture in a photograph, while the Beatles have been banned from the Philippines after declining a breakfast invitation with the first lady. Richard Gere, singer Bjork and Harrison Ford are also banned from China for publicly supporting Tibet and Martin Scorcese for making a film about Tibet and the Dalai Lama.
Rapper Snoop Dogg may hold the record though, as he is or has been at one time banned in the UK, the Netherlands, Norway and Australia.
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
