Russell Brand took to Twitter to tell fans a show in Orillia, Ont. would have to be postponed after his entry into Canada was denied, despite the venue's insistence that it was an aircraft issue preventing the comedian's arrival.
The actor, using the handle @rustyrockets, wrote a series of messages Saturday afternoon to let his fans know that Casino Rama's Saturday night show would not go on.
"HELP! I'm gonna be late for Casino Rama show unless someone can force Canadian customs officials to let us land in Orillia!" he wrote.
"Let me in! I must perform at Casino Rama, Orillia tonight at 9 for 5000 Canadians."
Brand later wrote, "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."
Casino Rama tweeted back to fans that Brand wasn't turned away at the border and that there was a technical issue with his plane. The venue operators said Brand never left California.
On Saturday afternoon, Casino Rama issued a press release stating that the show was officially postponed due to a "travel issue."
Jenna Hunter, spokesperson for Casino Rama, told The Canadian Press that Brand wasn't able to get another plane to get to Orillia on time for the show to continue.
"I think what he's saying is there is no international airport up here… and therefore you can't clear customs in Orillia," she said about his tweets. "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."
In May, Brand, who has a decade-old criminal record, was deported from Japan after flying there to watch his wife Katy Perry in concert.
