Rapper Macklemore and singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran are dominating the headlines. No, the year is not 2012. It’s still 2026 and this has been the situation for the last week. The story involves a stadium tour, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the phrase “Free Palestine,” multi-million dollar donations, Instagram statements and even the singer Pink.
So let’s dig in and untangle this complex, ever-evolving saga.
Can we start at the beginning, please?
Absolutely! On Sept. 4, rapper Macklemore opened for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” the 43-year-old rapper announced to the crowd. “I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
He later posted a video of his remarks to Instagram:
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His set also included a performance of his song “Hind’s Hall,” a tribute to the pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia University who occupied Hamilton Hall in April 2024 — the protesters renamed the building after Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl IDF forces killed in Gaza in January of that year — and footage of the destruction in Gaza.
The next day, Macklemore opened for Ed Sheeran’s second show at MetLife Stadium. Again, he called for “Free Palestine,” but this time spoke specifically to Jewish audience members. “Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality,” he said.
Just to be clear: We’re talking about Macklemore? “Thrift Shop” Macklemore?
Yes, we’re talking about 43-year-old Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, better known as the musical artist Macklemore who did indeed rise to fame for rapping, “I’m gonna pop some tags / Only got 20 dollars in my pocket / I’m, I’m, I’m hunting, looking for a come up / This is fucking awesome.”
Macklemore actually has a track record of sharing his pro-ceasefire and pro-Palestine views. On Oct. 19, 2023, Macklemore shared a statement on Instagram expressing his horror and grief over the violence in Israel and Palestine, and calling for a ceasefire. A few days later, Macklemore was among a group of 55 celebrities to sign a letter from Artists4Ceasefire. The letter was addressed to President Joe Biden, urging him to call for and work towards an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a release of hostages. Macklemore spoke at the National March on Washington: Free Palestine in November 2023. He wrote “Hind’s Hall” in 2024 and in the last few years has taken to wearing a Palestinian flag patch or keffiyeh or waving a Palestinian flag onstage during his performances.
Got it. So what was the general response to Macklemore saying “Free Palestine” onstage?
Multiple pro-Israel groups expressed anger at Macklemore’s message and called for him to be dropped from the tour. “Ed Sheeran’s fans came for a concert, not performative, biased and hateful anti-Israel ‘activism’ from his opener, Macklemore,” the ADL wrote, in part. The Israel-American Council began circulating a petition calling for Ed Sheeran to remove Macklemore, saying, “Ed Sheeran – do not allow your stage to be used to divide people or spread one-sided political propaganda!”
The regular fan response is a different story. Per JTA, “The reactions to Macklemore’s remarks were far from unanimous. Some fans took to social media to praise him.”
How does Pink play into all of this?
Pink was one of the first celebrities to react to Macklemore’s statements. On Instagram, the 47-year-old Jewish pop star reshared a post from pro-Israel antisemitism watchdog account StopAntisemitism calling for Macklemore to apologize and for ticket holders to be refunded. Following backlash to her repost, Pink posted her own lengthy statement on Instagram.
“Last Sunday I reposted somebody else’s post about Macklemore’s set at Ed Sheeran’s show. It said things in words I didn’t write, and I wouldn’t have chosen all of them. Then the comments came, and I did what I do when I’m hurt, which is post snarky memes and act like I’m fine. That’s on me,” she wrote. “A repost isn’t a statement, and a meme isn’t a spine. Social media makes all of us cheap and fast, and we all know it.”
She continued, “I was born a Jew. I didn’t pick it, and I’ve never hidden it. And this week a whole lot of people decided what I believe without asking me, without checking a single thing I’ve ever said or done, because a repost and the word ‘Jew’ were apparently enough to fill in the rest.”
Pink went on to say that she doesn’t speak for any government, including Israel, and that “Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and their aspirations. Protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child. Anybody’s child.”
However, she shared that she was also responding, in part, to a 2014 incident in which Macklemore wore a costume onstage which many criticized as being an antisemitic caricature. Pink had let the incident go, she says: “Until last weekend he stood in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn’t about them. You don’t get to decide that for us.”
“That’s what prompted my repost. Not ‘Free Palestine,’ and not anyone’s right to say it,” Pink underscored. “I have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I’m not asking now. I don’t need anyone fired, and I don’t need a refund. What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I’m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?”
You can read the full statement here:
Wait, back up. Macklemore did what?
Yeah…
Back in 2014, Macklemore performed at the EMP Museum in Seattle wearing, according to JTA, “a dark suit, a bushy brown wig and beard, and a large prosthetic nose.” See it for yourself:
Yikes! A few days later, Macklemore wrote on his website that his “intention was to dress up and surprise the people at the show with a random costume and nothing more.” He went on, “I acknowledge how the costume could, within a context of stereotyping, be ascribed to a Jewish caricature. I am here to say that it was absolutely not my intention, and unfortunately at the time I did not foresee the costume to be viewed in such regard. I truly apologize to anybody that I may have offended.”
He also encouraged his fans to check out the ADL, who then said they “accepted Macklemore at his word” that the incident was accidental.
How did Ed Sheeran respond to Macklemore’s statements?
Initially, he didn’t respond to Macklemore’s onstage comments.
OK, gotcha. So how did Macklemore get dropped from the tour and why am I hearing so much about Robert Kraft?
Great question. On Sept. 14, Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. He was scheduled to perform at eight more shows on the tour.
Messina Touring Group, the company promoting the U.S. leg of the tour, told Rolling Stone in a statement: “As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
The venues in question are: Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, Foxborough, Massachusetts’ Gillette Stadium, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, Arlington, Texas’ AT&T Stadium and Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.
In his own statement on Instagram, Macklemore claimed that Jewish billionaire Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, led the charge to get him dropped from the remaining tour dates. “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.”
His post also touched on censorship, his hopes for a continued friendship with Ed Sheeran and how neither he, nor Pink, nor Ed, are the victims here.
Robert Kraft later confirmed this aspect of Macklemore’s account to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Gillette Stadium has a 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,” he said. “Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”
“This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community,” Kraft went on. “I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same – peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate.”
In the years since October 7, Robert Kraft has been increasingly involved in anti-antisemitism advocacy. He helped establish the Stand Up to Jewish Hate campaign and even built a bunker under Gillette Stadium to monitor antisemitism.
I’m seeing that Ed Sheeran and Robert Kraft knew each other already. Is that true?
We can’t vouch for what relationship Ed Sheeran and Robert Kraft may or may not have now. But Ed Sheeran did perform at Robert Kraft’s surprise wedding in 2022. In a radio interview at the time, Ed characterized his relationship with Robert Kraft as “lovely.”
“I mean, he was my first stadium that I played in the U.S. ever,” Ed explained, adding that the Patriots owner is “super sweet.”
Also, is it true that one of the venues that wouldn’t allow Macklemore to perform did allow Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) to perform there?
Yes. Back in June 2026, Ye performed at Raymond James Stadium, despite calls for the Tampa Sports Authority to cancel the shows due to Ye’s history of antisemitism.
OK, so what was the public response to Macklemore getting dropped?
Some, including StopAntisemitism, have lauded the decision.
“Macklemore turns his opening slot on Ed Sheeran’s tour into a political platform. He shouts ‘Free Palestine.’ Venues push back. Some say they won’t host the show with him on the bill. The promoter drops him. And the story becomes: Zionists are silencing Macklemore,” editor Sarah Tuttle-Singer wrote on Facebook. “Because apparently Jewish people have the audacity to say: Can our kids go to a concert and just listen to music? Can our young people buy a ticket to Ed Sheeran without finding themselves once again dragged into the most painful, terrifying, complicated issue in their lives? Apparently not.”
She added, “What so much of the ‘Free Palestine’ movement seems utterly incapable of understanding is that when many Jews hear those words now, we don’t hear them in some pristine academic vacuum. We hear October 7.”
Another Facebook user said he understood the argument that Macklemore has a right to freedom of speech, but that “freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences.” “Venue owners have a right to decide who appears on their stages. And the rest of us have a right to listen to what he says, look at the larger context, and form our own opinions about it,” he explained.
There is also a portion of the general public who appear supportive of the rapper (with the acknowledgment that you can support his politics while not actually liking his music…). There have also been calls to boycott Ed Sheeran, the Loop Tour and stadiums on the Loop Tour from those online. “idk how to boycotted sheeran more than i already am, but i’ll have to find a way, “@maizie_star wrote on X. Chimed in @deedeehimawari, “i’d say boycott ed sheeran but who tf is listening to that in the first place.”
Naturally, musical parodies about Ed Sheeran’s apoliticism and the situation more generally abound on TikTok.
Did Ed Sheeran have a response to Macklemore’s post about getting dropped from the tour?
A day later, Ed Sheeran broke his silence to address the controversy via Instagram post.
In a six-slide, bullet-pointed statement, Ed distanced himself from the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour. “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” he wrote. “I am not complicit,” he continued. “I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.” (Earlier in the statement he also shared that he is “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine.”)
Ed’s account confirms that he spoke directly with Robert Kraft surrounding the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour.
What about the other musicians on the tour? How did they react?
Following the announcement that Macklemore was dropped from the tour, all three of Ed Sheeran’s supporting acts and his backing band announced they were pulling out.
“I don’t take the decision lightly,” Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe shared on Instagram. “But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children.”
Sheeran’s backing band Beoga, an Irish folk band, shared an equally direct statement. “It’s important that everyone knows that the real enemy is the zionist lobby,” they wrote. “Research how much Robert Kraft has done to fight the BDS movement. That will give you a sense of what we’ve all been up against.”
“We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them,” Danish pop group Lukas Graham frontman Lukas Forchhammer said on social media of the group’s decision to back out. “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”
Grammy and Oscar winner Finneas, brother of Billie Eilish, said simply, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed.” He concluded: “I stand with Palestine and its people.”
What about the competing donations from Macklemore and Robert Kraft? What’s going on there?
On Sept. 17, Macklemore announced on social media that he was donating the entirety of his net earnings from the Loop Tour (in total $1 million) to “organizations working directly to support Palestinian people.” Though he didn’t name the organizations in his statement, Macklemore did tag HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UNRWA USA National Committee and American Near East Refugee Aid.
“And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation,” Macklemore wrote. “Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth.”
Robert Kraft responded swiftly that he would commit $2 million dollars (at the behest of Ed Sheeran) to “fight this humanitarian crisis.” “I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,” Kraft commented in a post shared by Gillette Stadium. “I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.”
As to where Kraft will be sending his donation, that is yet unclear. “The New England Patriots owner didn’t specify in his public statement, and a representative didn’t immediately respond to questions from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency,” JTA reported. “Kraft’s gift comes as the controversy has prompted questions about how pro-Israel Jews in positions of power choose to wield their influence to combat what they see as antisemitism. His pledge carries additional, politically fraught implications, as Jewish groups have been divided on whether, or how, to donate directly to Gaza relief efforts.”
However, Kraft has previously worked with Seeds of Peace, a non-profit which brings Israelis and Palestinians together. This suggests that they could potentially be a beneficiary of Kraft’s donation. Still, JTA reported that Seeds of Peace has not responded to their request for comment on the matter.
So… is Ed Sheeran’s tour still happening?
Your guess is as good as ours. At time of publication, the tour is still scheduled to proceed.
