Given the many disgusting books, websites, and TV shows available in the United States, it should come as no surprise that governments abroad choose to keep them under lock and key. Here are several pieces of American media banned in other countries.
Pornhub (Bangladesh): While immensely popular, this pornography-sharing site spurred a moral outrage when it was accused of distracting child laborers from their work.
Stuart Little (Ukraine): Originally thought to be a product of radiation exposure, the Ukrainian government went to great lengths to remove this stark reminder of their past.
The Martian (Mars): Martian legislators vehemently objected to the depiction of their planet as inhospitable, and spent millions campaigning Matt Damon to visit so they could personally show him a good time.
Brokeback Mountain (Qatar): Censors in the Middle Eastern country were outraged by the film’s depiction of homosexual characters played by straight actors when there were tons of talented gay actors who could have easily assumed the roles.
Finland Is A Bad Country To Live In (Finland): Finnish parliament was quick to ban this Norwegian-made documentary, which highlights the shortcomings of Finland and its pathetic people.
How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Freaks And Geeks (Zambia): The Zambian government just has a weird thing about Jason Segel.
Frasier (North Korea): Basically everything is banned in North Korea, but they’re really missing out here.
Grey’s Anatomy (Canada): The steamy medical show horrified Canadians for its true-to-life portrayal of what privatized medicine looks like.
The Walking Dead (Poland): While The Walking Dead is not actually banned, all the viewers in the country got bored after season 5 and stopped watching.
Seinfeld (Eritrea): Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki keeps up appearances as the funniest guy in his country, so he’s needed to take action to ban this hit American sitcom so that nobody finds out that the leader has been passing off Jerry Seinfeld’s jokes as his own.
The Simpsons (Cody’s House): His mom won’t let him watch any shows that aren’t on PBS or Nickelodeon.
Say Anything (Vatican City): This 1980s romantic comedy was banned by the Catholic Church for causing too many bishops to hold a boombox over their shoulders to express their love to God.
Beaches (Mongolia): The landlocked country of Mongolia outlawed this 1988 dramedy after a century-long propaganda effort to deny the existence of oceans.
The Big Bang Theory (China): This popular sitcom about four Caltech physicists drew the ire of the CCP when it undermined their party-centric propaganda shows by demonstrating that Americans can write even more stilted, hollow dialogue.
Lost (Sweden): The Swedish government has decided it is not worth letting its citizens get all riled up and excited when they start watching Lost only to have them be let down by the finale.
Jehovah Witness Trifold Pamphlet (Finland): The leaflet’s complete disregard for even the most basic rules of graphic design has led to it being outlawed by Finish government officials.
The Sheboygan Press (Philippines): The hard-hitting Wisconsin newspaper cuts way too deep for the likes of an authoritarian leader like President Duterte.
Zoolander (Malaysia): After this 2001 film involved the killing of the Malaysian prime minister, tourists from around the world can now flock to Kuala Lumpur to watch the annual effigy burning of Ben Stiller.
Judge Judy (Serbia): Daytime television personality Judy Sheindlin’s inability to sentence guilty parties to the death penalty resonated poorly with many of the nation’s torture enthusiasts.
Buzzfeed (San Marino): Heads of state officially censored Buzzfeed after San Marino topped its list of most forgotten countries.