14 DAY TRIAL // British comedian Russell Brand was supposed to be in Ontario, Canada on Saturday for a sold-out standup number, but he never made it to the show. He claimed he was barred access to the country but organizers are singing an entirely different tune.
Since Brand is no stranger to trouble of this kind – i.e. being denied access to a country because of his criminal record – few fans could be upset at him for not showing up at the gig because of this.
“HELP! I’m gonna be late for Casino Rama show unless someone can force Canadian customs officials to let us land in Orillia!” Brand wrote on his Twitter page only hours before the show.
“How do you manipulate customs officials? Wasn’t Hitler's father a customs officer? I’m pretty sure he was. Let me in! I must perform at Casino Rama, Orillia tonight at 9 for 5000 Canadians!” he added a while later.
“Tonight’s Casino Rama show postponed. I’m sorry. I can’t enter Canada. We must abolish the borders between our nations AND our minds,” he added as the show was about to start.
He didn’t say why he wasn’t allowed in, but celebrity pundits put two and two together and concluded it was most likely because of his past criminal record.
Only that it wasn’t, The Hollywood Reporter informs.
A rep for the organizers, the Casino Rama in Ontario, also took to Twitter to set the record straight on the cancelation: Brand never left California, so he couldn’t have possibly been detained at the border.
“Ok all, let’s be clear, @rustyrockets is still in Cali, he never left, he has no immigration or border issue, it was a tech issue with plane!,” the rep explained.
“I think he’s trying to be witty about the whole thing, but it really was just a plane issue, it wasn’t a customs issue at all,” adds the same spokesperson.
No word yet on whether the show will be rescheduled.