diff --git a/core/modules/block_content/block_content.install b/core/modules/block_content/block_content.install
index 4279cde..2f9e49e 100644
--- a/core/modules/block_content/block_content.install
+++ b/core/modules/block_content/block_content.install
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
  */
 
 use Drupal\Core\Field\BaseFieldDefinition;
+use Drupal\Core\StringTranslation\TranslatableMarkup;
 
 /**
  * Add 'revision_translation_affected' field to 'block_content' entities.
@@ -61,3 +62,21 @@ function block_content_update_8003() {
   \Drupal::entityDefinitionUpdateManager()
     ->installFieldStorageDefinition('revision_user', 'block_content', 'block_content', $revision_user);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Add and populate publishing status fields.
+ */
+function block_content_update_8004() {
+  $status = BaseFieldDefinition::create('boolean')
+    ->setLabel(new TranslatableMarkup('Publishing status'))
+    ->setDescription(new TranslatableMarkup('A boolean indicating the published state.'))
+    ->setRevisionable(TRUE)
+    ->setTranslatable(TRUE)
+    ->setDefaultValue(TRUE);
+
+  \Drupal::entityDefinitionUpdateManager()
+    ->installFieldStorageDefinition('status', 'block_content', 'block_content', $status);
+
+  \Drupal::database()->update('block_content_field_data')->fields(['status' => 1])->execute();
+  \Drupal::database()->update('block_content_field_revision')->fields(['status' => 1])->execute();
+}
diff --git a/core/modules/block_content/src/Entity/BlockContent.php b/core/modules/block_content/src/Entity/BlockContent.php
index 13af342..e7df512 100644
--- a/core/modules/block_content/src/Entity/BlockContent.php
+++ b/core/modules/block_content/src/Entity/BlockContent.php
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 use Drupal\Core\Entity\ContentEntityBase;
 use Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityChangedTrait;
+use Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityPublishedTrait;
 use Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityStorageInterface;
 use Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityTypeInterface;
 use Drupal\Core\Field\BaseFieldDefinition;
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@
 class BlockContent extends ContentEntityBase implements BlockContentInterface {
 
   use EntityChangedTrait;
+  use EntityPublishedTrait;
 
   /**
    * The theme the block is being created in.
@@ -153,6 +155,7 @@ public function delete() {
   public static function baseFieldDefinitions(EntityTypeInterface $entity_type) {
     /** @var \Drupal\Core\Field\BaseFieldDefinition[] $fields */
     $fields = parent::baseFieldDefinitions($entity_type);
+    $fields += static::publishedBaseFieldDefinitions($entity_type);
 
     $fields['id']->setLabel(t('Custom block ID'))
       ->setDescription(t('The custom block ID.'));
diff --git a/core/modules/block_content/src/Plugin/Block/BlockContentBlock.php b/core/modules/block_content/src/Plugin/Block/BlockContentBlock.php
index 2afd040..42dbd53 100644
--- a/core/modules/block_content/src/Plugin/Block/BlockContentBlock.php
+++ b/core/modules/block_content/src/Plugin/Block/BlockContentBlock.php
@@ -147,7 +147,8 @@ public function blockSubmit($form, FormStateInterface $form_state) {
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   protected function blockAccess(AccountInterface $account) {
-    if ($this->getEntity()) {
+    $block = $this->getEntity();
+    if ($block->isPublished()) {
       return $this->getEntity()->access('view', $account, TRUE);
     }
     return AccessResult::forbidden();
diff --git a/core/modules/block_content/src/Tests/Update/BlockContentUpdateTest.php b/core/modules/block_content/src/Tests/Update/BlockContentUpdateTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5557b77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/block_content/src/Tests/Update/BlockContentUpdateTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Drupal\block_content\Tests\Update;
+
+use Drupal\system\Tests\Update\UpdatePathTestBase;
+
+/**
+ * Tests that block content settings are properly updated during database updates.
+ *
+ * @group block_content
+ */
+class BlockContentUpdateTest extends UpdatePathTestBase {
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  protected function setDatabaseDumpFiles() {
+    $this->databaseDumpFiles = [
+      __DIR__ . '/../../../../system/tests/fixtures/update/drupal-8-rc1.bare.standard.php.gz',
+    ];
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Tests adding a status field to the block content entuty type.
+   *
+   * @see block_content_update_8004()
+   */
+  public function testStatusField() {
+    // Check that the 'status' field does not exist prior to the update.
+    $field = \Drupal::entityDefinitionUpdateManager()->getFieldStorageDefinition('status', 'block_content');
+    $this->assertIdentical(NULL, $field);
+
+    // Run updates.
+    $this->runUpdates();
+
+    // Check that the field exists and has the correct label.
+    $updated_field = \Drupal::entityDefinitionUpdateManager()->getFieldStorageDefinition('status', 'block_content');
+    $this->assertEqual('Publishing status', $updated_field->getLabel());
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/core/modules/block_content/tests/src/Functional/UnpublishedBlockTest.php b/core/modules/block_content/tests/src/Functional/UnpublishedBlockTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6e4c4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/block_content/tests/src/Functional/UnpublishedBlockTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Drupal\Tests\block_content\Functional;
+
+use Drupal\block_content\Entity\BlockContent;
+use Drupal\block_content\Entity\BlockContentType;
+use Drupal\simpletest\BlockCreationTrait;
+use Drupal\Tests\BrowserTestBase;
+
+/**
+ * Tests unpublishing of block_content entities.
+ *
+ * @group block_content
+ */
+class UnpublishedBlockTest extends BrowserTestBase {
+
+  use BlockCreationTrait;
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public static $modules = [
+    'block_content'
+  ];
+
+  /**
+   * Tests unpublishing of block_content entities.
+   */
+  public function testViewShowsCorrectStates() {
+    $block_content = BlockContent::create(['type' => 'basic']);
+    $block_content->save();
+
+    $this->placeBlock('block_content:' . $block_content->uuid());
+
+    $this->drupalGet('<front>');
+    $page = $this->getSession()->getPage();
+    $html = $page->getHtml();
+    $this->assertTrue($page->has('css', '.block-block-content' . $block_content->uuid()));
+
+    $block_content->setPublished(FALSE);
+    $block_content->save();
+
+    $this->drupalGet('<front>');
+    $page = $this->getSession()->getPage();
+    $html = $page->getHtml();
+    $this->assertFalse($page->has('css', '.block-block-content' . $block_content->uuid()));
+  }
+}