Macklemore removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour after onstage support for Palestinians. He has no regrets
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- Macklemore has confirmed that Ed Sheeran’s team decided to remove him from the tour after he and the “Shape of You” singer shared “some difficult conversations this past week.”
- The rapper previously faced scrutiny from some Jewish advocacy groups over performances where he rallied for a “Free Palestine” onstage and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall.
Macklemore‘s time on Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour has come to an end after two concerts. Still, the “Same Love” rapper, who faced scrutiny for his recent onstage calls to “Free Palestine,” contends it’s “the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”
Grammy winner Macklemore confirmed reports on Monday that “Ed Sheeran and his team” removed him from future tour dates, saying in a lengthy statement shared to Facebook that his continued, vocal support for Palestinians amid Israel’s war on Gaza has cost him professionally.
In his post, he said Sheeran’s team decided to remove him from the tour after he and the “Shape of You” singer shared “some difficult conversations this past week.”
Last week, Macklemore, 43, drew ire from some Jewish advocacy groups over a pair of concerts at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium where he rallied onstage for Palestinian independence and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” which calls for a ceasefire and an end to Israeli occupation. At the time, Macklemore criticized Israel for the war in Gaza and accused its government of genocide. His performance was also accompanied by projected video footage of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, including UCLA.
Video of the performance spread online, sparking criticism from groups including Stop Antisemitism, which accused Macklemore on Instagram of turning “a mainstream event into a political nightmare against the Jewish state.” The Israeli American Council and the Anti-Defamation League also decried Macklemore’s performance on social media, with the former publishing a petition calling on Sheeran to remove the rapper from the remaining shows of his tour.
Grammy winner Macklemore, facing pressure to drop from Ed Sheeran’s tour, says ‘my message is for peace, love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.’
“Our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened,” Macklemore said in his Facebook post, before describing an alleged conversation between Sheeran and billionaire Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, where Sheeran is set to play later this month.
“Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,” Macklemore wrote. “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Neither representatives for Sheeran nor the Kraft Group immediately responded on Monday to The Times’ request for comment.
Kraft, in a statement shared with Variety, said he felt platforming Macklemore at Gillette Stadium would oppose the venue’s “longstanding commitment” to providing a “welcoming” space for all guests and “ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech.” The billionaire also said he welcomes conversation with Macklemore to “discuss the facts.”
Macklemore wrote that Sheeran’s “typical apolitical stance was being challenged” amid the public scrutiny and “he couldn’t get past his public facing, ‘I don’t take sides.’ ” The rapper has been a vocal supporter of Palestinian independence since the beginning of the current conflict in 2023.
Three doctors treat war casualties while speaking forcefully — and fearlessly — about the human tragedy unfolding on the ground with no end in sight.
During one of his concerts, Macklemore spoke to his Jewish attendees, clarifying his stance by saying that “criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.”
Macklemore, also known for hits “Downtown” and “Can’t Hold Us,” said he was hopeful this turn of events would not mean an end to his friendship with Sheeran.
“I didn’t need 10 Shows from Ed. I needed 2,” he wrote. “Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say ... ‘Free Palestine.’ ”
