Nowadays, if a celebrity makes a mistake or does something that many people perceive as offensive, they might be canceled. In some cases, they're also banned from entering certain countries. Some celebrities who have been banned from traveling to or performing in certain countries have been accused of and/or convicted of actual crimes. Others have behaved in a way that was deemed unfavorable in that particular country.
Here are some celebrities who have been banned from entering or performing in certain countries:
Chris Brown
In 2019, Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna. He pleaded guilty to felony assault. Though this particular crime he committed is perhaps the most high-profile, he has been accused of violence against women on multiple occasions, has been involved in multiple altercations, and has been charged with two criminal counts of having a restricted species, per People.
As a result, he's been banned from various countries. He was denied entry into the United Kingdom and Canada. He was supposed to tour in Australia and New Zealand in 2015, but he canceled the tour after being told that he would not be granted a visa.
In 2010, the UK's Home Office explained why Chris Brown was denied entry. "We reserve the right to refuse entry to the UK to anyone guilty of a serious criminal offense. Public safety is one of our primary concerns," the statement read, per People.
Katy Perry
Katy Perry was reportedly not able to enter China after an outfit she wore for a performance in Taiwan appeared to show support for Taiwan. While the sparkly sunflower dress Katy wore might not seem inherently political, in 2014, sunflowers were used as a symbol by activists in Taiwan who were protesting against a trade agreement with China (the protests have been called the Sunflower Movement or the Sunflower Student Movement). Additionally, Katy waved a Taiwanese flag during her performance in Taiwan.
Katy reportedly had plans to perform in China in 2015, but her visa was denied, per Page Six.
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Martha Stewart
In 2004, Martha Stewart was found guilty of charges including obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. Her criminal record interfered with her travel plans years later. In 2008, Martha planned on traveling to the United Kingdom for business, but she was denied entry, per The Independent.
Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin has been involved in legal battles in recent years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a gun Alec was using on the set of the film Rust in 2021.
But he was banned from the Philippines about a decade prior to that incident. In 2009, Alec made a "joke" that officials in the Philippines didn't find funny.
That year, on The Late Show with David Letterman, Alec made a comment about how he was "thinking about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this point … or a Russian one."
Philippine Sen. Ramon Revilla called the comment "insensitive and uncalled for," per NBC Washington. Though Alec later apologized, he was ultimately banned from the country and Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said it's because he was "deemed an undesirable alien," per E News.
Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone faced a lot of backlash for an insensitive comment she made in response to the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, China. When speaking to Hong Kong's Cable Entertainment News in 2008, the actress implied that the devastating earthquake in which more than 69,000 people died could've been "karma."
"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else," Sharon said at the time.
"And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?" she concluded.
The comments resulted in Sharon's films being banned by Chinese cinema chain UME Cineplex. Her invitation to the 2008 Shanghai International Film Festival was revoked.
Akon
Akon was banned from Sri Lanka because of his "Sexy Chick" music video that had a Buddha statue in the background. The offensive music video led to people protesting the concert Akon was supposed to have in the country, so it was ultimately canceled and Akon's visa was denied, per The Guardian.
Jay-Z
Jay-Z was barred from performing in China because his music was deemed too offensive. According to BBC, Jay-Z was set to make his debut in China in 2006, but the performance never happened.
The Ministry of Culture did not approve Jay-Z's concert because "some of Jay-Z's songs contain too much vulgar language," per China Daily.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus was supposed to perform in the Dominican Republic in 2014, but government officials decided that she could not perform there. Government officials said that the decision to ban Miley from performing in the country was made because she "undertakes acts that go against morals and customs, which are punishable by Dominican law," per the New York Post. Miley has also reportedly been banned from performing in China.
