Earlier this summer, Justin Bieber was banned from visiting China for his "bad behaviour". Chinese authorities said the Canadian singer, who has had a number of run-ins with the law including drunken drag racing a Lamborghini, is unsuitable for Chinese ears. It added that in order to "purify" performing arts in the country, Bieber had to be blacklisted.
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The 23-year-old artist isn't the only celeb to be banned from another country. We've rounded up the stars who won't be travelling to the likes of China, Britain and Malaysia any time soon...The twerking songstress was banned from performing on the Caribbean island of Dominican Republic in 2014 when government officials deemed that she "undertakes acts that go against morals and customs, which are punishable by Dominican law". Prior to this, Miley Cyrus was reportedly banned from China when she pulled a racially offensive pose in a photograph with friends in 2009. In a statement, Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi said: "Miss Cyrus has made it clear she is no friend of China or anyone of East Asian descent. We have no interest in further polluting our children’s minds with her American ignorance." The band was later overturned.
Beyoncé was banned from touring, performing and entering Malaysia in 2007. The conservative Islamic party said the singer's performances were "immoral" and "unclean". Her 'I am...' concert was postponed, with Malaysian entertainment company Marctensia saying: "The postponement is solely (the) decision of the artiste and has nothing to do with other external reasons." After reportedly being told she would need to cover from shoulders to knees, Beyoncé decided to cancel the gig.
Actor Alec Baldwin was banned from entering the Philippines over a joke about sex trafficking in the country in 2009. Baldwin said in an interview with David Letterman that he was thinking about paying for a "Filipino mail-order bride" to father more children. He later apologised "for the perceived insensitivity of that remark". But the authorities closed the borders to the star, with Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan saying: "By being on the bureau's blacklist, Baldwin is forbidden from entering the country as he is deemed an undesirable alien".
'Locked Up' singer Akon was refused entry to Sri Lanka in 2010 after one of his songs started riots in the country's capital, Colombo. The video for his song 'Sexy Chick' featured a raunchy pool party in front of a Buddha statue. Akon apologised and said: "[I] am a spiritual man, so I can understand why they are offended. But violence is never the answer and I am disheartened to hear about what happened in Sri Lanka." After hundreds of people protested an upcoming gig and demonstrators threw stones, the Sri Lankan government denied his visa request, citing "controversial video images, offensive song lyrics and strong protests coming from various cultural, religious groups and organisations in the country".
- Brad Pitt fell out with China after starring in 1997 film 'Seven Years In Tibet,' in which he played a mountaineer who became friends with the Dalai Lama during the time of the Chinese invasion of Tibet. Pitt was reportedly banned from visiting China and state-run newspaper China Daily reported that Hollywood would "never be forgiven" for its films on the region. The actor returned to China two decades later to promote his film 'Allied' in 2016.
Lady Gaga was banned from performing in Indonesia after officials labelled her too "vulgar" for Indonesian culture. The singer also received threats from extremist group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) over her daring outfits in 2012. She was forced to cancel her gig in Jakarta and apologised to her fans, saying: "The Jakarta situation is 2-fold: Indonesian authorities demand I censor the show and religious extremist separately, are threatening violence." In 2016, Gaga was also banned from China after meeting with the Dalai Lama to discuss yoga.
- Gomez was denied entry to China for a performance after the singer met with the Dalai Lama two years earlier. Selena had posted a photo of herself with the Dalai Lama on social media. The Daily Mirror reported in 2016 that Chinese authorities "blocked" her show after discovering the photo. A few years prior to this in 2013, Selena's visa request for Russia was denied allegedly over US activist John Becker encouraging her to use her performance in the country to speak out in favour of gay rights. Becker told E! News that Russian officials were "afraid" of what Selena might do.
- Sacha Baron Cohen was initially banned from Kazakhstan due to his offensive and politically incorrect portrayal of the country in his mockumentary 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'. Authorities also banned the film and threatened to sue the comedian after the 2006 release but in 2012, Cohen was thanked by the foreign minister for "helping attract tourists" to Kazakhstan after visa applications increased.
- Singer Chris Brown was denied a visa to tour in Australia in 2015 after he was convicted of assaulting Rihanna in 2009. Australia’s minister for women said: "People need to understand if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world, there are going to be countries that say to you, 'You cannot come in because you are not of the character we expect in Australia'". Brown had previously toured in Australia since his conviction, travelling to the country in 2011 and 2012.