Nigella Lawson was denied entry into the United States from London earlier this month. Now New Zealand has granted her a visa to enter that country. Lawson was supposed to work in L.A on the cooking show The Taste, but because of her recent admission of drug use she was denied entry–or so it is believed. U.S. officials have declined to state why Lawson was prevented from flying to L.A. from London. New Zealand officials had the following to say about her entry into their country.

“As Ms Lawson has been excluded from another country, namely the United States, she was ineligible to be granted a visa to enter New Zealand unless given a special direction,” the statement said.

“A special direction was considered and granted and subsequently her visa application was approved.”

Nigella Lawson admitted during a court case last year that she had previously used both cocaine and cannabis. British newspapers speculate that this is the reason she was denied entry into the United States. A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in London confirmed that Lawson was denied permission to fly to Los Angeles more than two weeks ago but declined to say why because of privacy reasons.

Lawson is in New Zealand for work as well. She is filming a TV ad for a chocolate manufacturer there.

Do you think Nigella Lawson’s admission of drug use is the reason she was denied access to the United States? Is this something that will eventually be formally announced? It will be interesting to see if she is permanently denied entry, and if that is the case, who will replace her on The Taste? Anthony Bourdain serves as a judge on The Taste with Nigella. He is appalled that she wasn’t allowed back in to the U.S.

I am absolutely mortified with embarrassment over the cruelty and hypocrisy of US actions re: #Nigella travel. Unbelievable.

— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) April 3, 2014

If Lawson truly is a drug risk, why is New Zealand allowing her there? Perhaps their drug laws are less strict than those in the United States?

Hopefully in the next few days more information about Lawson’s denial into the U.S. will be explained so people can rely more on facts and less on conjecture.

Image via Wikimedia Commons