11 Famous Faces Who Got Asked To Leave Restaurants
Celebrity status can get a person the best table in the room, but apparently it cannot guarantee they get to keep it.
Restaurants usually run on quiet rules. Eat the food, do not start a scene, and try not to become the reason an entire dining room stops chewing.
Then a famous face walks in and somehow dinner service turns into a story staff will be telling for the next ten years.
Being asked to leave a restaurant is such an ordinary public embarrassment, yet it hits differently when the person getting shown the door is used to premieres and people pretending everything they do looks intentional.
A meal goes sideways, tempers flare, or one very bad decision lands with an audience bigger than expected. Suddenly the bread basket is not the main event anymore.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general informational and entertainment purposes only. Accounts of celebrities being asked to leave restaurants are based on publicly available reports, interviews, and media coverage, which may vary in detail or context.
1. Zachary Quinto’s Spock-tacular Meltdown
Known for playing the super-logical Spock in Star Trek, Zachary Quinto apparently left his cool composure at the door during a visit to Manita, a Toronto restaurant.
The restaurant publicly posted on social media alleging that Quinto yelled at staff members and reportedly made a host cry.
If Spock could see this, he would raise one eyebrow so high it would orbit the planet.
Manita’s post spread fast online, with many fans expressing shock. Quinto did not offer a detailed public response.
Sometimes the characters we love on screen and the real person behind them can be surprisingly different.
2. Tommy Lee’s Hat Standoff at Emeril’s
Rock stars and dress codes have never exactly been best friends.
Tommy Lee discovered this firsthand when he and his then-girlfriend Brittany Furlan were reportedly asked to leave Emeril’s Delmonico in New Orleans over a hat he refused to remove.
The restaurant had a no-hat policy, and Lee was not having it.
Chef Emeril Lagasse himself responded publicly, defending his restaurant’s standards. Lee took to social media to share his side, calling the whole situation frustrating.
Whether you side with the rock legend or the restaurant, one thing is clear: always check the dress code before booking that fancy dinner reservation!
3. Ruby Rose and the Flying Fries
Fries are usually a comfort food, but for Ruby Rose, they became projectiles.
In 2016, the actress was asked to leave a New Orleans bar and restaurant after an altercation that reportedly involved her throwing fries at a bartender.
The restaurant owner claimed Rose was cursing at staff and causing a scene.
Rose disputed parts of the story but did not deny being removed from the venue. Her version suggested the bartender had mocked her sobriety, which set her off.
4. James Corden Gets 86’d from Balthazar
Picture this: you walk into one of New York City’s most beloved breakfast spots, and the owner personally bans you. That is what happened to James Corden at Balthazar in 2022.
Restaurant owner Keith McNally publicly called Corden out on Instagram, calling him “the most abusive customer” his staff had ever encountered.
Corden allegedly yelled at a server over a food mix-up and demanded free drinks. The internet went wild.
However, the story has a somewhat happy ending. Corden reached out, apologized sincerely, and McNally lifted the ban, proving that a genuine sorry can go a long way.
5. Nicolas Cage’s Vegas Exit at Lawry’s
Nicolas Cage has played everything from a ghost rider to a treasure hunter on screen, but his real-life Las Vegas adventure at Lawry’s The Prime Rib was something else entirely.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Cage was thrown out of the restaurant, and surveillance video reportedly showed him being escorted off the premises.
Details about exactly what triggered the removal were not fully made public, which honestly just makes the whole story more intriguing.
Lawry’s is a legendary steakhouse with a very particular atmosphere. If even one of Hollywood’s wildest characters could not hold it together there, the dress code must be serious business.
6. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and The Red Hen
Few restaurant moments sparked as much national debate as the night Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave The Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia.
In 2018, owner Stephanie Wilkinson asked Sanders and her party to leave, citing her staff’s discomfort with serving someone who worked for President Trump.
Sanders confirmed the incident publicly, and Wilkinson later verified her decision in interviews.
The story exploded into a massive political conversation about where public service ends and personal beliefs begin.
7. Joan Collins vs. Gordon Ramsay’s Restaurant
Gordon Ramsay is not exactly known for holding back his opinions, and that extends to who he lets dine in his restaurants.
The fiery chef once admitted he personally asked Joan Collins to leave one of his establishments. His reason?
Collins was dining with a food critic Ramsay believed had a personal vendetta against him.
Ramsay later said he apologized to Collins for the incident, acknowledging it was not her fault.
Collins, the legendary actress known for her sharp wit, could probably match Ramsay word for word in any argument. Thankfully, this story ended with an apology rather than a full dramatic showdown.
8. Sonja Morgan’s Thousand-Dollar Dispute at Tucci
Real Housewives fans know Sonja Morgan is never short on drama, but this particular story unfolded off-camera.
Tucci restaurant owner Max Tucci told People magazine that Morgan was blacklisted after an alleged dispute over a nearly one-thousand-dollar bill. According to Tucci, the situation got heated enough to result in a ban.
Morgan responded by calling it a simple miscommunication and clarified that she eventually paid the bill and left a tip.
Clearing the air matters, especially in New York City’s tight social circles where word travels fast.
9. Ariana Grande and the Donut Lick Heard Round the World
Back in 2015, surveillance footage from Wolfee Donuts in Lake Elsinore, California, showed pop star Ariana Grande licking donuts on the display counter that were meant for other customers.
The footage went viral almost instantly. Owner Joe Marin confirmed Grande was banned from the shop after the video surfaced.
Grande later issued a public apology, though the internet never fully let it go. Okay, technically it is a donut shop and not a sit-down restaurant, but the ban itself is completely real and thoroughly documented.
Honestly, the lesson here is simple: if you did not buy it, do not lick it. Ever.
10. Kenya Moore’s Diaper Disaster Dinner
Sometimes the most relatable parenting moments happen at the worst possible times and places.
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore shared on Instagram that she was asked to leave a restaurant after changing her baby’s diaper right in the dining room.
Moore shared the story herself, which gives it a wonderfully self-aware quality. While secondary coverage of the incident exists, this one is best understood as her own candid account.
Changing a diaper at the dinner table is definitely a bold move in any public setting. Points for honesty, Kenya!
11. Meghan McCain’s Political Exit in Los Angeles
In 2025, political commentator and The View co-host Meghan McCain claimed she was kicked out of a Los Angeles restaurant because of her political views.
McCain shared the story publicly, framing it as a politically motivated removal in a city known for its strong liberal leanings.
Since this account comes directly from McCain herself, it is worth treating it as her personal version of events rather than a fully confirmed story from both sides.
