Numerous Hollywood celebrities have expressed their admiration for the Dalai Lama. However, there is speculation that one of those celebrities, Selena Gomez, may have been denied the chance to perform in China as a result of her support of the spiritual leader.
The singer was set to perform in Guangzhou and Shanghai in August as part of her Revival tour, which kicks off in May. However, those play dates are no longer on its official website.
The performances have been canceled due to a two-year-old photo of Gomez and the Dalai Lama, according to a Chinese entertainment website.
In 2014, Selena shared on social media a photo of herself with the Dalai Lama, a controversial figure in China since she fled to India and founded a Tibetan republic.
He is known for his support for Tibetan autonomy and for his conflicting views on reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism
The photo is no longer on Gomez’s Instagram account, but it is still on her Twitter account.
A seated Selena leans her head back and smiles at the leader as he strokes the back of her head and chin, looking down at her in the photo, taken at an event in Canada. In the caption, she wrote, “words of wisdom. #speechless.”
Gomez has yet to comment on the rumor ban.
If Gomez is banned from performing in China as a result of the photo, she will join a small number of musicians who have not been authorized to do so.
Bon Jovi’s shows in September 2015 were canceled after they were accused of using a photo of the exiled Buddhist monk at a concert in Taiwan in 2010.
Last year, Maroon 5’s performances in Shanghai and Beijing were apparently canceled when band member Jesse Carmichael wrote a birthday message to the spiritual leader.
This isn’t the first time the Gomez has been banned in a country. The music artist was refused a visa by Russia in 2013 because the government feared she would speak out against the country’s anti-gay policies.