Fame isn’t everything, especially at passport control. Welcome to WatchMojo UK and today
we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 celebrities who have been banned from
Britain! For this list, we’re flagging up the famous
figures who have been denied entry into Britain at some point in their lives – including
those who have since had their bans lifted.
The American rapper was scheduled to headline a RockCorps benefit gig at the Royal Albert
Hall in 2008, but he almost didn’t make it thanks to immigration officials at London
City Airport. Rhymes was stopped at the gate due to a series of unresolved convictions
in the US. The hold-up was temporary though, and after a few hours under an armed guard,
Busta bust out of the predicament, with his lawyers securing a legal injunction – and
just in time to play the show, too.
A self-styled dating coach, Julien Blanc held some serious influence back in 2014, leading
seminars and events aiming to teach men how to meet and seduce women. But his rising profile
soon fell apart, with critics and campaigners highlighting how his teachings objectified
women, encouraged sexual harassment and promoted rape culture. By the end of 2014, Swiss-born
Blanc had been deported from Australia and barred from entering Britain or Singapore
– with various other nations promising to turn him away, as well.
An international footballer who has played right back for Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham,
Aurier has previously proven a controversial character on the pitch. However, it was his
off-pitch antics that prevented him from playing for PSG against Arsenal in the Champions League
in 2016. Aurier was appealing a two-month prison sentence at the time of the fixture
– handed to him for assaulting a police officer in Paris. The case caused UK authorities
to revoke a previous visa, making it impossible for the player to travel at that time.
While the UK has banned various people for reasons akin to ‘inciting hatred’, few
have a higher profile than US radio host and best-selling writer, Michael Savage. A one-time
friend of Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg, Savage has touted criticism with controversial
comments on everything from ISIS to the Catholic Church, to Robin Williams’ suicide. Then-Home
Secretary Jacqui Smith banned Savage from Britain in 2009, a year after he had voiced
contentious views on autism diagnosis. In response, Savage branded Smith “a lunatic”.
Having released his third studio album in 2015, Tyler, the Creator kick-started his
biggest ever world tour at the Coachella Festival in April. But the rapper was forced to skip
scheduled dates in Britain – which had included planned appearances at Reading and Leeds Festivals
– as controversial lyrics led to a nationwide ban. Theresa May was Home Secretary at the
time, and she cited lyrics from Tyler’s debut album “Bastard” as particular reason
for the visa veto, with Tyler’s critics claiming he glorified homophobia, misogyny
and violence against women.
Iron Mike isn’t the only boxer whose passport won’t pass with British authorities – just
ask former lightweight Joan Guzmán – but Tyson’s easily the sport’s most famous
name to have been denied entry. His book tour was redirected to Paris in 2013 because tightened
UK immigration rules blocked anyone who had been sentenced to four or more years in prison
from entering the country; Tyson served three years of a six-year sentence for rape, beginning
in 1992.
A singer with a long history of legal troubles, Brown’s most infamous crime came in February
2009 when he physically assaulted his then-girlfriend, Rhianna. The domestic violence case caught
global attention, not least because of the perceived leniency of Brown’s sentence – which
involved five years of probation, but no jail time. Brown applied for a UK visa almost 18
months after the incident, hoping to take his European tour to Britain. But the application
was denied in light of him “being guilty of a serious criminal offence.”
Perhaps more than any other public figure on today’s list, Edward Snowden became famous
as a result of the reason why he’s not allowed in the UK (or many other countries). Snowden
was at the centre of an international scandal in 2013, when the former CIA worker leaked
classified documents, disclosing information on various global surveillance programs – the
UK’s included. Snowden was granted asylum in Russia, but Home Office letters were reportedly
sent to international airports, calling for Snowden to be turned away from any Britain-bound
flight.
Martha Stewart’s career can be divided into two distinct periods; before and after her
2004 five-month prison sentence for investment fraud and obstruction of justice. The well-publicised
trial and jail-term might’ve ended Stewart’s career, but America’s head homemaker came
back arguably stronger than ever. Martha’s resurgence wasn’t enough to breach British
borders, though. The UK border agency refused her entry in June 2008 thanks to her criminal
record, scuppering her plans to present at the Royal Academy of Arts.
We finish with a rapper who underwent a long-running battle with the British border agency, after
an airport fracas that occurred on UK soil, at Heathrow in 2006. Snoop and his entourage
were involved in a brawl with the police, following an argument over entry into a first-class
lounge. Ultimately, he was banned from re-entering the country. But D O Double G was VIP once
more, when he won a £100,000 legal battle to remove the restriction in 2010. Snoop also
shares an unlikely friendship with Martha Stewart – so who knows what would happen
if they ever showed up together!