Ed Sheeran has spoken out following Macklemore being dropped as a support act from his tour regarding comments about Palestine, telling fans that he is “not complicit”.
Controversy around the rapper began when he made an impassioned speech while opening for Ed Sheeran across his US tour dates. In his comments on stage, he called for “all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality” and called for a “free Palestine”.
Soon after he made the comments, he faced calls for his removal from the tour by the Israeli-American Council, who claimed he had used his platform to “advance a one-sided political agenda”. Macklemore would then respond to the backlash, saying striving for equality “should never be controversial”.
Then yesterday, it was confirmed that he had been dropped from the tour following the comments, and Messina Touring Group, a promoter of the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s tour said it was because some venues said that “they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the line-up”.
Addressing the move, Macklemore said that he does not see himself as “a victim”, but instead “the victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence”.
He also went on to call Sheeran a “friend”, and said the musician “was in a fucked up position” after Robert Kraft — the owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium — told Sheeran that the shows would not be able to go ahead with Macklemore taking part.
Kraft also spoke about his part in the row, sharing that while he “agreed with Macklemore” in many ways, his comments went against the venue’s “longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech”.
Now, Sheeran has commented on the situation too, and said that it was not his decision to kick Macklemore off the tour.
On Instagram, the singer started by sharing that he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” and sees the “suffering and pain caused on both sides” as a “tragedy”.
He added that he added Macklemore to his tour because he “respects him as an artist”, but was later informed by his team that multiple shows of his would likely be cancelled due to the rapper’s comments about Palestine.
“I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge,” Sheeran added. “One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.”
Sheeran then repeated that the move to take Macklemore off the tour was not made by him, writing: “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me. I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”
In his comment, he then went on to share that he actively chooses to keep his “personal views on this devastating conflict” to himself, so that he can “use [his] platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together” and make the gigs about “unity, joy, escapism, love, and a place for everyone to feel welcome.”
“I am not complicit… Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have [opinions], and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way,” Sheeran added.
“Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum… I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change. There are different approaches to being an advocate for change.”
The pop star concluded by sharing that he has spent the past week “trying to build bridges, to find a solution” but was “unable to do so”.
maybe speaking out against genocide trumps etiquette. the irony of all this performative outrage is that the crowd sounded on board with the message. https://t.co/7sgtZguCJ0
— Chris Shiflett (@ChrisShiflett71) September 9, 2026
Others who have spoken out about Macklemore following his comments on stage include P!NK, who reshared a post from the StopAntisemitism group, which claimed that Macklemore had “accused Israel of a false ‘genocide,’ and turned a mainstream event into a political nightmare against the Jewish state”.
Boy George – who drew backlash recently after sharing the AI-assisted pro-Israel track ‘We Will Dance Again’ – also spoke out. He posted an AI-generated image on Instagram showing Sheeran wearing a shirt that read: “Wkack Mack No More”, and also took to Twitter/X to say he had “never been an @Edsheeran fan and nothing has changed”.
Foo Fighter’s Chris Shiflett, however, backed the rapper up for his on-stage comments, writing on X: “I get the ‘STFU and play’ thing all the time and I don’t subscribe to it.”
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