Celebrities enjoy such exalted status these days you’d be forgiven for thinking fame can unlock any door. Not so! Thanks to past indiscretions (in some cases, such a term doesn’t even begin to cover it) and political persuasions, a number of celebrities have found themselves banned from foreign countries. These VIPs certainly can’t access-all-areas. (Our featured image is by Magnus D)
Brad Pitt (China)
It’s fair to say the Chinese government wasn’t a fan of the film adaptation of Heinrich Harrer’s Seven Years in Tibet. Unhappy with the representation of its people in the movie (People’s Liberation Army soldiers are portrayed as brutal, impolite and insensitive), the Communist Party of China immediately banned director Jean-Jacques Annaud and stars Brad Pitt and David Thewlis from entering Mainland China for eternity.
The Beatles (The Philippines)
We suspect what happened to The Beatles in the Philippines in 1966 is subject to a lot of folklore, but as far as we can tell this is what went down. After a series of miscommunications between their management and Filipino authorities, the Fab Four failed to materialise for a breakfast reception at the Presidential Palace hosted by first lady Imelda Marcos.
The local media reported the incident as a snub, causing public uproar. After their Filipino security team deserted them, the world’s biggest celebrities of the time chose to make a hasty and hectic exit. Quite whether their ban from The Philippines was self- or government-imposed is unclear. But one thing’s for sure, they didn’t hurry back.
Miley Cyrus (China)
The gossip pages have been insatiable for Miley Cyrus’s evolution from squeaky-clean teenybopper star to edgy singer and actress. Not a single change of look or relationship hiccup has escaped their beady eyes. And unfortunately for her, nor did this ill-judged “slant-eyed” gesture.
It didn’t escape the Chinese authorities either, who not only banned her indefinitely from visiting, but also outlawed any products related to her (that includes her TV show and films).
Martha Stewart (UK)
For more than three decades, Martha Stewart fostered a bulletproof, butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth reputation that resulted from, and indeed powered, her lifestyle media empire. That is until 2004, when she was incarcerated for obstructing justice during an investigation into insider trading. Four years later, she had to cancel a trip to London after she discovered she fell short of the UK border agency’s entry requirements.
Incarceration and visa issues haven’t held her back too much – she’s still one of the richest, most successful businesswomen in America today.
Naturally, a handful of celebrities have received bans in relation to drug offences, including…
• Snoop Dog – UK and Australia
• The Rolling Stones – Japan
• Diego Maradona – Japan
• Paris Hilton – Japan
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
