People should be allowed to use their voices and platforms to speak up for those who cannot, especially artists with massive public influence, which is exactly what rapper Macklemore did. And that still got him a public penalty.

On September 4th, Macklemore joined his long time friend,  pop superstar, Ed Sheeran on his worldwide “Loop Tour” as his routine opening act in support of his most recent 2025 album “Play.” However, at the New Jersey MetLife Stadium event, Macklemore made a short yet impactful speech to speak up for the freedom of all oppressed peoples including Palestine, Congo and Sudan. 

Even though he continued onto a second show and was scheduled for eight more, it was later announced on September 14 that Macklemore would no longer perform with Ed Sheeran’s tour. And furthermore, Macklemore has recently announced on social media that he will be doing his own tour and use the profits made to donate to victims in Palestine.

Immediately, Ed Sheeran faced backlash online. Fans initially assumed that Ed Sheeran had kicked Macklemore off of his tour because of the speech, however, Sheeran posted a brief explanation  on September 15 that stated it ultimately was not his decision to remove  Macklemore.

But his explanation actually earned him more criticism than before. In his statement, Sheeran  revealed that it was the decision of Robert Kraft, a billionaire businessman who owns the Gillette Stadium, where Ed Sheeran is scheduled to perform on September 25th and 26th. According to Sheeran, Kraft essentially gave him two choices: perform at his stadium without the appearance of Macklemore or not perform in his stadium at all.

Despite Kraft being the one to give Sheeran the ultimatum, it was Ed Sheeran himself who chose to get rid of Macklemore and continue his tour.

Now, people across social media are even more upset knowing that he had the decision to keep Macklemore for the rest of the tour but instead, chose to protect his own image instead. They were not upset because they were looking forward to seeing Macklemore’s performance, but rather, because it proved that Ed Sheeran had sided with the billionaires like Kraft to silence outspoken political voices like Macklemore’s.

In the same post on September 15, Ed Sheeran mentioned that he only wanted to take a neutral stance between the two controversial political groups specifically surrounding the ongoing genocide in Palestine. 

Despite what was intended with his message, this announcement would only encourage the backlash because social media viewed it as Ed Sheeran clearly showing where he stands. Even though Ed Sheeran has been historically apolitical, his statement about his neutral opinion on the political situation didn’t blow over as well with fans. The choice to side with oppressors like unbothered billionaires or stand up for genocide victims is a choice controversial only to those who have an image they desperately seek to protect.

Although Ed Sheeran’s controversy surrounding this Macklemore situation has caused him to lose thousands of social media followers as well as alliances with popular brands, his tour still manages to remain sold out.

However, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone aware of how a celebrity brands themself. Tons of celebrities have continued to stay relevant, liked and popular despite enduring plenty of controversies just like Ed Sheeran’s current situation. For instance, Adam Sandler, who has openly spoken about his support for Israel multiple times, but especially on the Howard Stern show in 2015, manages to keep his reputation unscathed and legacy unaffected.

Or even Nina Dobrev,who shared multiple pro-Israel posts on Instagram in 2023. Though she received lots of backlash at the time, she is still widely admired across social media platforms and maintains her high celebrity status.

It’s obvious to the online public that supporting genocide is wrong, but for the masses, it’s inconsequential. Realistically, the consequences hundreds of celebrities like Ed Sheeran, Adam Sandler and Nina Dobrev face have little effect on their image and reputation globally.

Though Ed Sheeran made the choice to bow down to the elitist oppressors who work to silence people like Macklemore while claiming to be neutral in the middle of events that don’t just have political implications, but affect thousands of people in their real lives every day, it doesn’t mean that he will be castigated in any real way, and it also doesn’t mean that it’s not worth trying to speak up.

The Palestinian genocide isn’t just a morality indicator for someone’s favorite celebrity, it’s an ongoing massacre that has massive geo-political repercussions. Despite this, speaking up is never in vain. People need to start holding celebrities accountable and continue fighting for what’s right.