Anthony Bourdain Defends Nigella Lawson, Blasts U.S. Travel Ban as "Appalling" and "Unbelievable"

Find out what harsh things the celeb chef if saying

By Brett Malec Apr 04, 2014 7:43 PMTags
Nigella Lawson, Anthony BourdainJason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Anthony Bourdain is tweeting mad about his The Taste costar Nigella Lawson being refused entry into the U.S.

One day after news broke that Lawson was stopped at Heathrow Airport and banned from boarding a flight to L.A. for unknown reasons, Bourdain is defending her and blasting her travel ban.

"I am absolutely mortified with embarrassment over the cruelty and hypocrisy of US actions re: #Nigella travel. Unbelievable," Bourdain tweeted yesterday.

He followed up with, "Toronto mayor, Rob Ford? Welcome to the USA. Nigella Lawson? No. REALLY? Absolutely appalling misuse of our system. And by whom? How?"

It's still unknown why Lawson was prevented from entering the U.S.

While U.S. London Embassy spokesperson Lynne Platt couldn't confirm why Lawson was banned from her flight last Sunday, Platt did tell E! News, "We can tell you that she has been invited to come to the Embassy and apply for a visa to travel to the United States. We understand that she has professional requirements for U.S. travel. These matters are generally handled routinely and expeditiously."

Lawson's rep would not comment on the story.

Lawson spent much of last year embroiled in a fraud case with two of her former assistants, Francesca Grillo and Elisabetta Grillo. During the trial, Lawson admitted to taking cocaine and smoking marijuana (celebs like Boy George and Amy Winehouse were previously banned from entering the U.S. because of drug offenses).