Celebrity5 min(s) read
Macklemore accused of breaking ‘promise’ as fresh detail emerges over Ed Sheeran tour fallout
More details have come out in the fallout surrounding Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour.
As widely reported, the 43-year-old rapper was dropped from the remaining dates of Sheeran's Loop Tour after several stadium owners opposed comments he made while opening for the British singer at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The rapper had spoken in support of Palestinians, said "Free Palestine," and performed 'Hind's Hall', his protest song named after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in 2024.
Robert Kraft, billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, barred Macklemore from performing at his Massachusetts venue and accused the artist of a history of antisemitic rhetoric. He said the stadium would not provide a platform for what he called hate speech.
The 'Thirft Shop' artist has defended his advocacy, arguing that "wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial".
NFL owners were allegedly given an assurance
New reporting from The Wall Street Journal has now shed more light on what allegedly happened behind the scenes.
According to the platform, several NFL team owners complained about Macklemore's pro-Palestinian comments following the first of Sheeran's performances at MetLife Stadium.
Sources told the publication that the owners were then "promised" that the 'Same Love' rapper would remove the references from his performance the following night.
However, Macklemore continued expressing his support for Palestinians and again said "Free Palestine".
This ultimately resulted in him being removed from the tour, with Sheeran saying that venues had threatened to pull upcoming shows if the rapper remained on the bill.
The decision led to all of the 'Shape of You' musician's other scheduled opening acts - Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, and Irish folk group Beoga - withdrawing from upcoming shows in solidarity with Macklemore.
They all raised concerns about freedom of expression and the influence of powerful venue owners.
Sheeran stressed in a statement shared on Instagram that removing Macklemore was not his decision.
"Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine," he said, explaining that the rapper's contract was with the promoter rather than him.
The Grammy-winning star also addressed criticism of his decision not to publicly state his own position on the "conflict".
"I am not complicit," he said. "I have my personal views on this devastating conflict."
He has said his decision not to use his professional platform for politics "doesn't mean I don't care" or "support causes in my own, personal way".
Macklemore pledges $1 million
Macklemore has been publicly advocating for Palestinians since well before joining the Loop Tour.
On Wednesday, he announced that he would donate the $1 million in net earnings he received from the tour to six organizations supporting Palestinians.
The rapper said he wanted "to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people," adding: "This is a manmade injustice, and I believe it requires immediate political change."
The 'Can't Hold Us' musician also publicly challenged Kraft to match his donation.
Kraft later revealed that Sheeran had apparently contacted him before Macklemore issued that challenge.
"Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis," he said in a statement released through Gillette Stadium.
"Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges," he added.
Details about precisely where his donations will be directed have not been made clear.
The billionaire has also defended his record on Israeli-Palestinian issues amid criticism over Macklemore's removal.
"I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people," he said. "I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting."
He said he has "supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians" and helped bring "young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships."
This isn't the first time Kraft, who was described as a "loyal friend" to Israel by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has responded to pro-Palestine protests.
He previously suspended donations to his alma mater, Columbia University, after the pro-Palestinian campus protests in 2024, saying he was "no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff, and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken."
The Kraft family had donated at least $18 million to the university.
Hamilton Hall, one of Columbia's main buildings, became a focal point of the 2024 protests when demonstrators occupied it and renamed it "Hind's Hall" after Hind Rajab.
Sheeran's next performance is scheduled for Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where Graham and Rowe were due to open.
The singer still has 17 dates remaining on the tour across North and South America.