\u201cMacklemore coming off tour was the promoter\u2019s decision; it was not mine,\u201d Sheeran wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. \u201cI 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.”<\/p>\n
The tour\u2019s promoter, the Messina Touring Group, did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. Macklemore’s publicist also did not immediately respond.<\/p>\n
Sheeran’s statement came a day after Macklemore said he was kicked off the Loop Tour after exclaiming \u201cFree Palestine!\u201d during the September 5 date at New Jersey\u2019s MetLife Stadium while introducing his protest song Hind\u2019s Hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you,\u201d he said during the concert.<\/p>\n
![\"Macklemore](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/macklemore-performs-in-berlin-in-2023-OFLCJWWBHVBHNKWQ2BFPIPPU3A.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Macklemore performs in Berlin in 2023 (Source: Getty)<\/p>\n
Macklemore said on Instagram that several US venues told the promoter they would prohibit him from performing as Sheeran\u2019s opening act, rallied by Robert Kraft, owner of NFL\u2019s New England Patriots. His Kraft Group also owns Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Kraft said the decision to cancel Macklemore was a result of his recent comments \u201cand a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community\u201d.<\/p>\n
Sheeran said in his latest post that he \u201cspoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge,\u201d but that \u201cthe venue’s and promoter’s decision was final\u201d.<\/p>\n
A growing chorus of organisations and experts say Israel\u2019s wartime actions in Gaza amount to genocide \u2014 an accusation Israel vehemently rejects.<\/p>\n
Macklemore was scheduled to perform at eight of the 10 shows Sheeran has remaining on his stadium tour, which is scheduled to resume Saturday in Philadelphia. Ahead are stops at Gillette Stadium, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.<\/p>\n
In his social media statement, Sheeran said he tries to use his music to \u201cbring people from all backgrounds and cultures together\u201d and that while he has personal views about \u201cthis devastating conflict\u201d, he chooses not to speak publicly because people who come to his shows \u201cdo not expect a political forum\u201d. He added: \u201cI am not complicit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI respect Macklemore\u2019s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes,” Sheeran added. “However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Three supporting acts quit Ed Sheeran\u2019s tour after the rapper Macklemore was removed for pro-Palestinian comments he made…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601516,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[156,14849,157,111,139,64,69],"class_list":["post-601515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-israel-gaza-conflict","tag-music","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-north-america","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}