12 celebrities who were banned entries to other countries

Updated on July 23, 2022 15:17 PM by Andrew Koschiev

Selena Gomez was denied a visa in Russia

In 2013, Selena Gomez was denied a visa in Russia amid her plans to conduct concerts in major cities in Russia; this led her to cancel other chains of her shows in Eastern Europe.

She planned to perform a concert in Belarus with additional stops in Ukraine and visit Russia stops in St. Petersburg and Moscow. As a result of visa denial, she got to cancel her entire tour.

The Moscow Times stated that Selena Gomez's stand on gay rights was the reason for denying her a visa in Russia. Organizers for the two concerts Selena had scheduled in St. Petersburg, and Moscow revealed that Russian officials denied Selena's request to enter the country under its new anti-gay law.

It is said that the U.S. gay rights activist John Becker was encouraging Selena Gomez to use the Russian concert platform to spread the favor for gay rights and gay marriage as Russian officials were afraid that Selena Gomez might spoil the mindset of her fans and thus clearly depicts the sensitivity of the issue.

Along with Selena Gomez, other pop Gods like Madonna and Lady Gaga are also banned from entering the country.

Justin Bieber was banned from China over 'bad behavior'

Justin Bieber was in the middle of his global tour, and the Chinese government prohibited him from performing in China. Chinese Officials were released at that time.

"Justin Bieber is a gifted singer, But to maintain order in the Chinese market and purify the Chinese performance environment, it is not suitable to bring in badly behaved entertainers."

Though the government did not clarify the lousy behavior, the singer's past behavior was still carried up the Great Wall by bodyguards, which happened on tour in 2013. Justin Bieber's 2014 visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, who posted photos of him in the shrine,

Honors the war veterans, including those who inflicted atrocities upon Chinese and Korean civilians before and during the Second World War, deeply hurt the sentiments of the government.

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Lady Gaga banned from Indonesia over sexy clothes

Lady Gaga's unusual dressing attire got her banned from doing concerts in Indonesia. In 2012, the biggest concert of Lady Gaga in Asia, the "Born this way" tour, was canceled in Indonesia as she faced threats from the Islamic Defenders Front, a religious group, because of her indecent clothing.

Her revealing dresses could corrupt the youth of the country.

Rihanna sent out of Abu Dhabi

In 2013, Rihanna visited Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. There she posed for some photos of herself covering her hair with a hijab and wore a more modest outfit than her usual ones.

Later she uploaded the same on her Instagram profile. On seeing it, officials asked to leave the world's most prominent Muslim place of worship for taking inappropriate photos

The Mosque officials released a statement that the singer visited the private property without any prior permission from the administration and was even asked to leave before entering the mosque after she posed in some disrespectful positions for some pictures that reduced the sanity of the holy place.

Sunflower dress got Katy Perry banned from China

In 2015, Katy Perry performed in Taipei, Taiwan wearing a sunflower, and at one point, she draped a Taiwanese flag over her shoulders. The dress that aroused controversy as a sunflower was used as a prime symbol of a 2014 movement that protested a Chinese trade agreement that was seen as unfair to Taiwan.

The outfit and the flag draped over her was a politically charged gesture and caused uproar in China, which has had long-running tensions with Taiwan regarding its independence.

Paris Hilton banned in Japan over cocaine possession

In 2010, Paris Hilton was banned in Japan as she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge in Las Vegas. She was arrested a month before for cocaine possession.

Due to this, she was denied entry to Tokyo's airport, where she was detained for six hours of questioning and later spent the night in an airport hotel. She canceled all her Asia tours and boarded a private jet back to Los Angeles.

Russell Brand banned in Canada over drug convictions

In 2011, Russell Brand was denied an entry ban in Canada for a stand-up show over the charges of criminal offense and possession of drugs. Not only from Canada, but he was also deported from Japan while visiting his pop singer wife, Katy Perry, on her Asian tour due to prior criminal convictions.

The comedian has a dozen arrests under his belt, including one for suspected battery charges after allegedly attacking a photographer.

Björk denied entry after free Tibet speech

In 2008, at the Shanghai concert, Björk infuriated the Chinese officials for shouting Tibet, Tibet" at the end of her song "Declare Independence." Following this incident, China's culture ministry issued a statement proclaiming that

"Any artistic group or individual who has ever engaged in activities which threaten our national sovereignty will not be allowed in." The ban included entertainers who "threaten national unity" and "violate religious policy or cultural norms."

As a result, for their embrace of the Free Tibet movement, Lady Gaga, Brad Pitt, and Richard Gere was denied a visa to China.

Kesha's concert was banned due to cultural and religious sensitivities

The pop star Kesha's concert was canceled after the authorities in the Muslim-majority country determined that it would "hurt cultural and religious sensitivities”. Livescape, the concert organizer, lose more than $350,000 because of the ban.

Malaysia's Ministry of Communications and Multimedia said it rejected the application for Kesha's performance for reasons of religion and culture but did not elaborate.

Though, Kesha had already agreed to make changes in the concert plans to comply with the government's guidelines, including adjusting her song lyrics, wardrobe changes, and a list that was modified to specifically adhere to the guidelines set forth by the authorities.

Akon banned entering Sri Lanka over Buddha abuse

American R&B star Akon from entering Sri Lanka after one of his music videos spurred violent protests in the nation's capital. The private Maharaja T.V. station, located in Colombo, had planned to sponsor Super Fest 2010, which Akon was called was attacked and vandalized by the protestors.

A video of Akon moving his body with bikini-clad women and a Buddha statue entered mainstream politics and created a dispute in the country; as a result; the Colombo authorities announced that Akon had been denied a visa to the country.

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Snoop Dogg banned in Norway over sneaking a substance

In 2012, the American rapper Snoop Dogg was banned from entering Norway for two years as he tried to get inside the country with a small amount of marijuana. He was detained at Kjevik Airport while on his way to a music festival when customs officials found he was carrying eight grams of the drug.

Ban from entering Britain

In 2006, He was barred from Britain after he was arrested on charges of violent disorder at London's Heathrow Airport. The U.S. rapper has been banned from entering Australia because of recent convictions for drugs and firearms offenses.

Australia's immigration minister, Kevin Andrews, said that the 35-year-old millionaire would not be allowed into the country on a short-stay visa because of his extensive criminal record. The star had been due to take part in MTV's Australian Video Music Awards, which take place in Sydney this weekend.

Chris Brown was banned in the U.K

Chris Brown was banned from entering the U.K. after being found guilty of a criminal offense. In 2010, Chris Brown was banned from stepping on British soil shortly after he was arrested for assaulting Rihanna following the Grammys.

The couple got into an argument while driving in his Lamborghini, which led to her suffering from a split lip, bruised eye, and other injuries. Due to the attack, the rapper was charged with charges of assault and making criminal threats.

He pleaded guilty to a felony and accepted a plea deal of community labor, five years' probation, and domestic violence counseling. After 12 years of the ban, only in 2022 was he allowed to perform in the U.K. He was also banned from entering Australia due to a history of domestic violence injected on Rihanna.