A brewing controversy surrounding Ed Sheeran’s North American Loop Tour has erupted into a major industry debate over free speech and the Israel-Gaza conflict, after all scheduled supporting acts resigned in solidarity with ousted opening act Macklemore.
The conflict traces back to earlier this month, when pro-Palestinian rapper Macklemore, born Benjamin Haggerty, delivered politically charged sets at two of Sheeran’s concerts in New Jersey. During the performances, he publicly called for a free Palestine and shared on-stage visuals showing widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip. The remarks quickly drew pushback from Robert Kraft, the 85-year-old Jewish billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, located near Boston, Massachusetts.
Kraft, who also owns the sports and events conglomerate Kraft Group, confirmed on Monday that he had removed Macklemore from the upcoming Gillette Stadium stop of Sheeran’s tour, accusing the Grammy-winning artist of spreading hate speech and harboring a history of antisemitic rhetoric—claims that Macklemore has outright denied. Kraft further argued that the rapper only shared one-sided information about the ongoing conflict and ignored the violent actions of Hamas. In a follow-up statement, Kraft noted that he has long backed initiatives that connect young Israelis and Palestinians to build economic opportunity and cross-community relationships, saying “I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.”
In the wake of Macklemore’s removal, Ed Sheeran quickly distanced himself from the decision, telling reporters that the choice to cut the rapper from the line-up was made exclusively by venue promoters, and that he would not engage in public debate over the Gaza conflict. However, just days after the announcement, all remaining supporting acts on the U.S. leg of the tour stepped down in solidarity. The departing acts include Finneas, brother and producer for global pop star Billie Eilish, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Danish pop group Lukas Graham, and Irish folk band Beoga, who have toured with Sheeran as on-stage collaborators for years. In a joint statement, the artists argued that Macklemore’s removal sets a dangerous precedent that creates a chilling effect on freedom of expression in the live music industry.
The controversy quickly escalated on Wednesday, when Macklemore announced he would donate his full $1 million in net earnings from the Loop Tour to six Palestinian humanitarian organizations. The rapper used his social media platforms to throw down a public challenge to Kraft, calling on the billionaire to match the $1 million contribution to support relief efforts in the region. “This is a manmade injustice, and I believe it requires immediate political change,” he wrote, adding that the donation would refocus the conversation on the Palestinian people suffering from the ongoing conflict.
Shortly after Macklemore’s challenge, Kraft released a new statement revealing that Ed Sheeran had personally contacted him earlier that day, before the rapper’s public callout, to request that Kraft commit $2 million to match a donation of the same size from Sheeran, with all funds going to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Israel-Gaza region. Kraft did not specify exactly which organizations would receive the funding. Sheeran also plans to reach out to other venue owners across the country to coordinate broader collective action, with the stated goal of continuing to work toward cross-community dialogue. The billionaire also denied Macklemore’s claim that he has lobbied other stadium operators to ban the rapper from future events at their venues, and reaffirmed his own longstanding support for humanitarian programs that create opportunity for Palestinian people.
As of this reporting, widespread speculation has emerged online about whether the entire U.S. leg of Sheeran’s tour will be canceled following the mass resignation of all supporting acts, though no official announcement about the tour’s status has been released from Sheeran’s team or event promoters.