American celebs you won't believe cozied up to dictators

American celebs you won't believe cozied up to dictators - One might think that discussions of foreign policy and human rights crises should stay in our nation's capital. However, many of Hollywood's biggest stars have joined in on the action, whether they like it or not. Actors, singers, and athletes alike have performed for and even had legitimate friendships with authoritarian leaders overseas. Check out the following photo gallery to see which of your favorite celebrities has been buddy-buddy with a highly contested foreign leader.

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Nicki Minaj - In December of 2015, Nicki Minaj accepted a $2 million paycheck to perform for the family of Angola's president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has been accused of corruption and human rights violations.

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Nicki Minaj - The president of the Human Rights Foundation told Telegraph, "Minaj’s payday is all the more jarring given that she joined the chorus of the Black Lives Matter movement. It appears that when those black lives happen to be in Angola they matter less than a pay cheque from a dictator."

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Steven Seagal - The actor has referred to Vladimir Putin as "one of the great living world leaders" and he would like to consider the Russian president "as a brother."

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Steven Seagal - Seagal and the president have reportedly bonded over their mutual love of martial arts. In 2016 Putin granted the actor full Russian citizenship and Seagal remains one of his most outspoken supporters.

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Dennis Rodman - The former Chicago Bulls star is one of the few American celebrities who has spent time with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un.
(Photo: CC BY 2.0)

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Dennis Rodman - When asked about the North Korean leader's notoriously poor human rights record and alleged murder of his own uncle, Rodman reported that they "didn't discuss politics." He then added, "That's not my job."

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Jennifer Lopez - The pop-star/businesswoman has been widely criticized by the Human Rights Foundation for claiming over $100 million after performing for some of the most tyrannical dictatorships in the world.

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Jennifer Lopez - In 2013, Lopez performed for Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who runs the third most oppressive government in the world. The singer has put on several other shows for politicians and businessmen accused of corruption and human rights abuse.

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Hilary Swank - Following her performance at Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's birthday party in 2011, the actress shared that she "deeply regrets" taking part in the concert.

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Hilary Swank - Swank admitted that prior to the performance, she was completely unaware of the long list of accusations against the leader, ranging from kidnapping to extrajudicial killings.

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Beyoncé - In 2010, Beyoncé performed at a New Year's Eve party in St. Barts for Libyan Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son, Hannibal Gaddafi. Other stars, including Usher, were paid to attend the parties.

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Beyoncé - Aside from the long list of human rights abuse cases made against his father, Hannibal has been accused of brutally attacking hotel workers, police officers, and his own wife. Beyoncé has publicly stated that she knew nothing of the Libyan leader prior to booking the show.

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Mariah Carey - Carey took in a $1 million paycheck after performing for the notoriously violent former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son Mutassim Gaddafi.

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Mariah Carey - Carey later admitted that she was completely unaware of who had booked the concert. She reportedly stated that she felt "horrible and embarrassed" after learning about the controversies surrounding the Gaddafi family.

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Danny Glover - Though the government under Hugo Chávez was not a traditional dictatorship with relatively fair elections, there was a massive "concentration of power and erosion of human rights protections," according to Human Rights Watch.

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Danny Glover - In 2007, the former Venezuelan president reportedly gave Glover $18 million to direct a film about the historic 18th-century slave revolt in Haiti. Glover has also rigorously defended Chávez, calling him "a true man of the people."

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Kanye West - In 2013, the rapper and fashion designer performed for the grandson of Kazakhstan's authoritarian leader President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

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Kanye West - The president of the Human Rights Foundation Thor Halvorssen stated that in Kazakstan, "The regime crushes freedom of speech and association; someone like Kanye, who makes a living expressing his views, would find himself in a prison under Nazarbayev's rule."

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Sean Penn - The iconic actor has been an outspoken advocate of Hugo Chávez since meeting him in 2007. Penn said that the Venezuelan president has "done incredible things for the 80% of the people who are poor there."

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Sean Penn - Following the president's death, Penn stated, "Today the people of the United States lost a friend it never knew it had. And poor people around the world lost a champion." He also added, "I lost a friend I was blessed to have."

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Oliver Stone - Side-by-side with the Venezuelan leader himself, Oliver Stone released the documentary 'South of the Border' about Hugo Chávez's and other leftist presidents at the Venice Film Festival.

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Oliver Stone - After his death, the filmmaker said that the president should be remembered as a hero for the poor. Stone stated, "Hated by the entrenched classes, Hugo Chávez will live forever in history. My friend, rest finally in a peace long earned."

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Kevin Spacey - In 2007, the actor reportedly visited with Hugo Chávez for three hours to discuss political issues and movie ideas.

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Kevin Spacey - Chávez was said to have spoken about trying to expand the film industry in Venezuela to counter "cultural imperialism" coming from the United States.

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Michael Jackson - After being acquitted in his notorious molestation case, Jackson fled the US and stayed with Bahrain Prince Abdullah al-Khalifa for several months.
(Photo: CC BY 2.0)

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Michael Jackson - However, their amicable relationship came to a rearing halt after the King of Pop returned to the USA. The prince sued Jackson for upwards of $7 million for not keeping his promise to stage an in-house musical at the palace, among other things.

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50 Cent - Like Beyoncé, Usher, and Mariah Carey, 50 Cent also participated in the birthday celebrations for Muammar Gaddafi's family.

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50 Cent - The rapper expressed deep regret for his role in the concert and announced that he would donate a portion of his earnings from the show to Unicef in hopes to help those who are suffering and have suffered under Gaddafi's regime.

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Mickey Rourke - The actor, screenwriter, and former boxer was hit with major public scrutiny after walking around in a t-shirt with Russian President Vladimir Putin's face on the front.

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Mickey Rourke - Rourke defended Putin to a reporter saying, “I met him a couple of times and he was a real gentleman, a very cool regular guy, looked me right in the eye. I think he is a good guy. If I didn't, believe me, I wouldn't wear the T-shirt.”

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