Though life as a celebrity is often about the glitz and the glamour, they are no strangers from being turned away from nightclubs and parties just like anyone else.
Love Island’s Ekin-Su Culculoglu was left red-faced after being thrown out of the official BAFTA afterparty following the 2025 TV awards on Sunday night.
The Love Island star was invited to the three-hour awards at the 2700-seater Royal Festival Hall in London, but she was not invited to the exclusive dinner and BAFTA afterparty following the ceremony.
After chancing her luck and sneaking into the swanky dinner service, she was ‘asked to leave’ by the BAFTA security team, with sources claiming Ekin-Su had been trying to find a way out at the time.
However, she is far from the first celebrity to make an awkward gaffe when it comes to nabbing an invite to an exclusive event as many other stars have found themselves turned away despite being VIPs.
Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney and Justin Bieber have all fallen victim to some embarrassing invitation gaffes, and here are some of the most memorable moments.
Love Island’s Ekin-Su Culculoglu was left red-faced after being thrown out of the official BAFTA afterparty, and she is not the only celebrity to have been turned away from an A-list party
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran performed in front of huge numbers of fans and celebrities at the 2017 Grammys but was then bizarrely refused entry to his own label’s afterparty.
Despite leading the stars at the A-list ceremony, Ed had trouble getting into the glitzy bash and admitted it was actually the fourth year in a row he was turned away.
Speaking on On Air With Ryan Seacrest, he said: ‘Yeah, that’s actually happened four years in a row, and that’s not just my label’s afterparty, that’s just afterparties in general.
‘Do you know what I don’t get – it’s like you walk into those parties and there’s four musicians there and everyone else there are people from LA who didn’t even go to the Grammys and just want a party to go to.’
Thankfully, Ed had more luck getting into Benny Blanco and Diplo’s party, but decided to go home after it got too crowded.
Ed Sheeran performed in front of thousands of fans at the 2017 Grammys (pictured) but was then bizarrely refused entry to his own label’s afterparty
Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne
In an awkward gaffe, Eddie Redmayne was reportedly turned away at the door of Rihanna’s star-packed party after the 2017 Met Gala.
Global megastars including Rita Ora, Diplo, Katie Perry, Kate Hudson, Mary J. Blige and Halle Berry – were in attendance at the exclusive bash.
However, it appeared that it was not meant to be for Eddie and his wife Hannah Bagshawe.
Speaking about their night ending abruptly, a source told MailOnline at the time: ‘The club was incredibly overcrowded so the door staff were having to turn lots of people away on the night.’
Earlier in the night, Eddie and Hannah had made a joint appearance together as they stormed the red carpet at the Met Gala.
In an awkward gaffe, Eddie Redmayne and his wife Hannah were reportedly turned away at the door of Rihanna’s star-packed party after the 2017 Met Gala (pictured at the event)
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney was denied access to Tyga’s Grammys afterparty in 2016 because he turned up at the wrong event.
The Beatles star was denied entrance after mistakenly turning up at The Argyle in Hollywood, thinking it was Mark Ronson’s party with Republic Records, which was held at Hyde Sunset Kitchen & Cocktail.
A representative for The Argyle told TMZ Paul went on his way when he realised his mistake and said they would have happily let the singer in if he had decided to stay.
It was not just Paul who confused the venue either, as he was also joined by Beck, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and actor Woody Harrelson.
Paul who was accompanied by his wife Nancy, was heard joking at one point; ‘How VIP do we gotta get?’
After being denied a second time, Paul made light of the situation as he joked: ‘We need another hit guys, we need another hit.’
Tyga later broke his silence the amusing gaffe during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he was asked if he thought Paul would respond with a ‘diss track’.
He insisted he was just performing and had no control over the guest list, but invited Paul to one of his shows to compensate.
‘I don’t control the door. I had no knowledge SIR PAUL was there. I just performed and left,’ Tyga also wrote on Twitter earlier in the day.
‘Why would I deny @PaulMcCartney stop it. He’s a legend.’
Paul McCartney was denied access to Tyga’s Grammys afterparty in 2016 because he turned up at the wrong event (he is pictured at the 2015 Grammy Awards)
Justin Bieber
Back in 2013, Justin Bieber was famously turned away from Manchester nightclub Sankeys when he was just 18 years old.
Following his gig at the Manchester Arena, the teenager was hoping to unwind with a spot of partying at the house venue.
However, when he turned up to the club in the Northern Quarter, management told him he couldn’t enter.
A statement on the venue’s Twitter page read: ‘Yes the rumours are true, we turned Justin Bieber away.
‘He shuffles on stage and we can’t be having that in Sankeys now can we.’
Back in 2013, Justin Bieber (pictured in February) was famously turned away from Manchester nightclub Sankeys when he was just 18 years old
Sam Smith
Sam Smith had a very unfortunate moment when they were reportedly turned away from a Met Gala afterparty – despite the fact they were staying in the same hotel.
The singer, who uses they/them pronouns, was said to have tried unsuccessfully to get into the Macallan party at New York’s Mark Hotel after the 2024 Met Gala.
Sources said Sam was repeatedly told: ‘You’re not on the list, you can’t come in,’ and the star eventually gave up and went to Dua Lipa’s party instead.
‘They gave them a flat out ‘no.’ They tried three times,’ a source informed Page Six. ‘They walked out surprised. But Sam was totally cool and polite.’
Sam was joined by boyfriend Christian Cowan for the glitzy evening out, after they walked the red carpet together at the event.
Christian and Sam supposedly went to several Met Gala afterparties after being refused entry at the Macallan event, and ‘kept the dance floor smoking hot’.
Sam Smith was reportedly turned away from a 2024 Met Gala afterparty – despite the fact they were staying in the same hotel (pictured at the gala with boyfriend Christian Cowan)
Noah Schnapp
Noah Schnapp made headlines in June of last year when it was reported that he had been reportedly removed from a nightclub in New York City.
According to Page Six, the incident happened after the Stranger Things star, 20, ‘got out of hand’ in the early hours of the morning.
Witnesses on the scene said the teenager was disturbing partygoers, who paid for bottle service, asking them ‘to take tequila shots with him and his entourage’.
Noah reportedly became ‘angry’ when the patrons ‘refused to participate with him because he is underage’.
Security escorted the Netflix star out of The Palace around 1:30am after he allegedly became ‘aggressively wasted’.
The outlet’s source noted that after Noah was led out of the establishment, he ‘retreated to the curb’ and was ‘clearly unable to stand’.
The actor eventually left the location around 2am, according to eyewitnesses.
Noah Schnapp was removed from a nightclub in New York City in the early hours of Saturday morning; pictured in August 2023
Millie Mackintosh
Millie Mackintosh was left red-faced when she and her husband Hugo Taylor was turned away from a London Fashion Week party back in 2017.
The former Made In Chelsea stars arrived at Annabel’s private members’ club in the hope of partying alongside A-listers Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Jourdan Dunn.
However, it was confirmed to MailOnline at the time that the pair were turned away at the door of the LOVE Magazine and Burberry event because they did not have an invite to the exclusive soirée.
A spokesperson for LOVE magazine told MailOnline: ‘Millie was not a guest at this event. She tried to get in and was turned away.’
A source added: ‘Millie and Hugo weren’t invited. They were pictured outside Annabel’s when they arrived to a flurry of flashbulbs, but they weren’t let in.’
The star-studded event was a strictly A-list bash, with the likes of Winnie Harlow and Lily Donaldson also in attendance to toast the close of London Fashion Week.
Millie Mackintosh and her husband Hugo Taylor (pictured in November) was turned away from a London Fashion Week party back in 2017 because they weren’t invited
