Fame and fortune can open many doors for a person. But sometimes it isn’t enough to cover up a dark past. Sometimes celebrities are banned from tv shows, cities, or sometimes even countries. This may be due to them being involved in criminal activity, or just being too vulgar. Sometimes making a joke about a country may be enough to restrict your access to it. It’s a weird world we live in and some immigration officers really know how to hold a grudge – so that’s to be expected. It’s usually only minor celebrities who are banned from entering certain countries – but sometimes it’s A-Listers. I guess fame can’t get you out of everything these days. Here are 10 celebrities banned from countries.
10: Sacha Baron Cohen – Kazakhstan
Sacha Baron Cohen is the English actor behind the character Borat. Borat is a blithering idiot who comes from Kazakhstan. The genius behind this character is that most people know nothing about Kazakhstan, so he could fool people into believing all kinds of absurd things about the country. Apparently the Kazakh government were pretty offended by this so they straight up decided to ban him from the country. The Kazakh ambassador to the UK also called for a boycott of the film, which caused a minor diplomatic incident. He is not currently banned from the country as they eventually decided that banning him was just silly. Most numbers on this list will be celebrities banned from countries – but I just had to include this one.
9: Brad Pitt – China
Celebrities banned from countries are often not too popular in dictatorships. Brad Pitt is currently banned from China because of his part in a movie called “Seven Years in Tibet.” The movie is about the Chinese military expansion through Tibet in the 1940s. Brad Pitt plays a character who becomes good friends with the Dalai Lama, who is obviously pro Tibetan as he was it’s leader for a while. The film is unapologetically pro the Tibetan cause, which gained the attention of Chinese officials. The Chinese government is intent on maintaining it’s control of Tibet so obviously they weren’t the biggest fan of the film.
8: Martha Stewart – Great Britain
Martha Stewart is a big star in America. She is a television presenter, but also a successful media mogul. She has been successful in all kinds of business ventures from broadcasting to publishing. Her reputation took a big hit in 2004 when she was linked to a huge insider trading incident. It was a case where the company “Imclone systems” was up to no good. Several of it’s executives were found guilty of insider trading and security fraud, which are considered serious crimes. Martha Stewart was the affair and was sent to prison for it. Because of this conviction, she is banned from Great Britain.
7: Snoop Dogg – Norway
Snoop Dogg is known for his love of cannabis. Many celebrities banned from countries achieved their ban through drug-related issues. Snoop Dogg once got caught with cannabis on him while in an airport. Apparently this really didn’t go down well in Norway. Scandinavian countries are extremely strict when it comes to cannabis as they have the view that weed turns people in lazy criminals. So he’s banned from Norway and probably always will be. I doubt he cares though – he’s just happy to live somewhere he can get high all day every day forever. Classic Snoop Dogg.
6: Miley Cyrus – Dominican Republic
Miley Cyrus is banned from a few countries like China, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. She’s known as a wild girl now so it’s no surprise to see her on a list of celebrities banned from countries. But why do so many countries not want her? Well she was banned from China for allagedly being racist towards east-Asians. She once pulled her eyes back to mimic the stereotype that Chinese people have ‘slanted eyes’ and got banned for it. She is banned from the Dominican Republic because they ban almost anyone. Apparently her moral character just wasn’t good enough to be granted entry into the country.
5: 50 Cent – Canada
50 Cent is considered one of the last hip-hop artists to actually be as tough as he claims to be. He was shot several times and has been involved in all kinds of crime. He even still has a bullet fragment from the shooting inside his tongue. So is it any surprise that he’s among the many celebrities banned from countries? I think not. Having racked up criminal records from his gritty past, he’s not allowed to enter Canada. The Canadian officials are famously strict with who they allow into their country, especially concerning those with criminal records.
4: Alec Baldwin – Philippines
Alec Baldwin is a weird guy. The oldest Baldwin, he’s been involved in a lot of controversies in his career and has also had a few meltdowns. With many others following in his footsteps, no one is surprised there are so many celebrities banned from countries. He is banned from entering the Philippines because he made a joke at the country’s expense. It was on David Letterman’s late night talk show, when Baldwin jokingly implied he had ordered a mail-order bride from the Philippines. It seems a bit harsh to ban him just for that. But I suppose the whole mail order bride thing is an image they want to lose – it doesn’t give the place a good vibe.
3: Russell Brand – Japan
Russell Brand really isn’t welcome in Japan. The Japanese government has long been strict with gun and drug control. As Russell Brand is a recovered drug addict, they were always going to be wary of him entering their country. But as he has a criminal record they were given an excuse to deny him entry. So he wasn’t allowed into Japan in 2011. Coincidentally, his criminal past also made it difficult for him to enter Canada. He isn’t banned from Canada though. I’d ban him just for being a massive hypocrite and a whining anti-capitalist.
2: The Beatles – Philippines
As the biggest band in the world, the Beatles toured all over the place during the 1960s. So in 1966, they were in the Philippines. The leader of the Philippines invited the band to spend time with him. But they were too busy, so they politely declined. This was seen as a great insult not only to the leader himself, but to the people of the Philippines – which didn’t go down well at all. They were soon chased out of the country and subsequently banned. There are loads of celebrities banned from countries like the Philippines of Japan. I guess they don’t approve of our western devilry.
1: Chris Brown – Great Britain
At this point, Chris Brown is more famous for assaulting his ex-girlfriend than he is for his music. In 2008, he brutally beat up his ex-girlfriend. He was arrested for it and his career was what took the real hit. The issue has pretty much settled down by now but it still hasn’t been forgotten. He is banned from Great Britain because of it. And he marks the end of our 10 celebrities banned from countries.