Celebrities Who’ve Been Banned From Other Countries

Following his arrest and conviction for beating up then-girlfriend Rihanna prior to an awards show (he received a five-year probationary sentence), British authorities barred him from entering the U.K. in 2010, forcing him to postpone his British tour.

Japan has traditionally held strict regulations when it comes to allowing entry to those with criminal records. The hotel heiress and notorious party girl flew to Japan but was denied entry into the country a few days after she pled guilty to cocaine possession in an L.A. courtroom.

It turns out that sometimes accepting a script may also get you barred from entering a country. According to Chinese authorities, Brad Pitt is no longer welcome in the country after starring in the 1997 film Seven Years in Tibet, the true story of an American who befriends the Dalai Lama. Chines officials stated that the film promotes Tibetan independence from China, which makes Pitt persona non grata.

British singer Lily Allen was reportedly devastated when she attempted to enter the U.S. in 2007 and found herself stripped of her travel visa and sent back to the U.K., stemming from charges she faced back home for allegedly attacking a photographer. Thankfully, things were sorted out and she was allowed back into the U.S. the following year.

Although moviegoers loved the British funnyman's 2006 comedy Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, the government of Kazahkstan found nothing funny about his Borat character, an anti-Semitic Kazakh journalist who traveled throughout the U.S. testing the patience of unsuspecting Americans. Tremendously offended, they banned Cohen from ever visiting, but later overturned the ruling once they realized how much the country could benefit from Borat-related tourism. Very nice!

Chinese authorities were not happy after photos circulated of Cyrus making a "slanted eye" gesture, with officials feeling she was mocking Chinese citizens. If the former Hannah Montana star ever tries to visit China, she'll be turned away.

After unintentionally snubbing the country's eccentric first lady Imelda Marcos when the band performed in The Philippines back in 1966, the dictator's wife threw a fit over the airwaves and riled up citizens, resulting in a public uproar that found the Fab Four literally fighting for their lives to get out of the country. The Beatles wound up being banned from The Philippines—which reportedly was fine with the band, who vowed never to return.

Here's a shocker: rapper S-to-the-N-to-the-double-O-to-the-P was banned from Norway for, you guessed it, trying to smuggle weed into the country back in 2012. Snoop wasn't allowed in the country for two years.

Some countries are so sensitive. We're sure the former 30 Rock actor never dreamed he would be banned from the country for simply cracking a joke to David Letterman during a Late Show appearance about Filipino mail-order brides—which is precisely what happened.

British border officials mean business when it comes to what they deem to be serious crimes, and the domestic diva's five-month prison sentence for insider trading led Britain to ban her from entering back in 2008.

China has a long history of banning American movie stars (we already mentioned Brad Pitt, but we didn't mention Richard Gere, likewise banned, because he's a devoted Buddhist and good friend of the Dalai Lama). The erstwhile Han Solo has also been banned from China, due to his public support for Tibet.

The Stones tried to roll into Japan in 1973, but found themselves turned away due to front man Mick Jagger's two prior drug convictions, one in 1967, another in 1970. Time, however, was on their side; they were subsequently allowed to enter Japan.

The old-school hip-hop star had his visa blocked and was almost denied entry into the U.K. in 2008 due to "unresolved convictions" in the U.S.—he had plead guilty to drunk driving and assault. Rhymes was held for 12 hours but was eventually allowed in to perform a scheduled gig.

Back in 2012, Lady Gaga found herself caught in a bad romance with Indonesian Islamic hardliners who felt her sexy outfits and provocative concert performances would corrupt the nation's youth. And while Mother Monster wasn't technically barred from Indonesia, she was prevented from obtaining permits for her scheduled tour, and was forced to cancel a sold-out show in Jakarta.

R&B star Akon's 2009 video for "Sexy Chick" was not a hit with the nation's Buddhists, and spurred violent protests in the country over the video's depiction of a pool party full of scantily clad women with a statue of Buddha clearly seen in the background. As a result, Akon was denied entry to Sri Lanka.

A recovering heroin addict, Russell Brand can't shake his drug conviction, which resulted in a denied entry into Japan when he attempted to go see then- wife Katy Perry perform there in 2011. To add insult to injury, Brand was also denied entry to Canada that same year, for the same reason.