So True? So False? Did Russell Brand Really Get Denied Entry Into Canada?!

British comic tweeted that immigration officials were preventing him from entering country, resulting in postponement of comedy gig over the weekend. But is that really what went down?

By Gina Serpe Oct 03, 2011 5:06 PMTags
Russell Brand, Twitteryfrog.com

It's not like it hadn't happened before. So when word broke over the weekend—on Russell Brand's own Twitter feed—that the comic had been denied entry by Canadian customs officials and thus would be unable to perform in the country Saturday night, it seemed perfectly believable.

He even went so far as to chronicle his plight of injustice through a series of tweets, asking, "How do you manipulate customs officials?" and pleading to no one in particular to "let me in!"

He ended his rant by announcing the show had been postponed. "I'm sorry," he wrote. "I can't enter Canada. We must abolish the borders between our nations AND our minds."

Seems pretty cut-and-dry: He wasn't allowed into Canada. But is that the real story? Did customs officials really prevent him from entering the country? Someone call the Mounties, because this rumor is…

So false!

Despite what Russell's tweets would have fans believe, the cancellation of his show at Casino Rama had absolutely nothing to do with customs officials—in fact, Russell never even left Los Angeles!

That cheeky Brit!

"Casino Rama regrets to announce that this evening's Russell Brand show has been postponed due to a travel issue being experienced by the artist," the Ontario-located casino said in a statement Saturday.

And that travel issue was a faulty plane, not an international rap sheet (not this time, anyway).

"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 casino tweeted out Saturday.

And yesterday, just so that there was no lingering confusion, Casino Rama spokeswoman Jenna Hunter told the Canadian Press that Brand's plane suffered unspecified mechanical problems and that he was simply unable to secure a seat on another flight.

"I think what he's saying is there is no international airport up here...and therefore you can't clear customs in Orillia," she 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."

But it's probably fodder for his next show. His gig at the casino, meanwhile, has yet to be rescheduled.