What began as a planned cross-country pop tour has erupted into a polarizing international controversy centered on the Israel-Palestine conflict, leaving British megastar Ed Sheeran facing the very real possibility of scrapping his entire U.S. run.
The crisis ignited earlier this week when supporting act Macklemore was dropped from the tour lineup, a move the Grammy-winning rapper says was triggered by his public pro-Palestine statements during live performances. In recent shows, Macklemore—legal name Benjamin Haggerty—has performed his track *Hind’s Hall*, which condemns what it calls Israeli genocide in Gaza, and called out for a free Palestine from the stage. He has also pushed back against claims that his criticism of Israeli policy amounts to antisemitism, telling Jewish fans that opposing apartheid and mass violence is not an attack on them as a people.
According to Macklemore, the pressure to remove him came from American billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, one of the largest venues on Sheeran’s planned route. Kraft, a well-known public supporter of Israel who once led a delegation of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees on a tour of the country where he met then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, allegedly issued an ultimatum: if Macklemore remained on the tour, Kraft would bar Sheeran from using his stadium and coordinate with other venue owners across the U.S. to do the same.
In the wake of Macklemore’s removal, a mass exodus of talent has gutted Sheeran’s tour. All four of his remaining supporting acts, along with his entire touring band, have stepped down from the lineup, sparking widespread speculation that the star will have no choice but to cancel the entire tour entirely. The situation has split public opinion across the entertainment industry and beyond, with high-profile figures lining up on both sides of the debate.
Until recently, Sheeran had garnered little public backing from his celebrity peers—many of whom have publicly praised Macklemore for his stance. But a handful of prominent public figures have come out in support of the pop star. Among the most notable is British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a convicted offender with a long history of anti-Muslim rhetoric, who took to X to post, “I support @edsheeran , fuck Palestine. Barrassin [embarassing] all im seeing on socials from middle class brats who live in suburbia.”
Former Culture Club frontman Boy George, who has long positioned himself as a vocal defender of Israel, also backed Sheeran, condemning Macklemore for what he called using the long-running Middle East conflict as a “photo op.” Even British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has weighed in, saying she holds “enormous sympathy” for Sheeran and hopes the controversy will not derail his tour.
On the opposing side, dozens of high-profile figures have criticized the decision to remove Macklemore, including YouTube creator Ms Rachel, U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and climate activist Greta Thunberg. British singer Paloma Faith also pushed back against Sheeran’s claim that he avoids bringing politics into his performances, pointing out that the star has previously publicly expressed support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion during his live shows.
Sheeran has pushed back against criticism, arguing that the choice to remove Macklemore was made by tour promoters, not himself. “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,” he wrote in an Instagram statement, adding that concertgoers attend his shows for music, not a “political forum.” He also noted that he could not abandon the touring crew and supporting musicians who rely on the tour for their income.
In the aftermath of the controversy, all parties have announced major donations to humanitarian aid in the Middle East. Macklemore says he will donate the $1 million he was set to earn from the tour to Palestinian aid groups, and publicly challenged Kraft to match the sum. Sheeran followed with an announcement that he would donate $2 million to regional aid efforts, though he offered no specifics on which organizations would receive the funds. Kraft subsequently said he would match Sheeran’s $2 million donation to support humanitarian relief efforts in the region.
Even with the donations, the damage to Sheeran’s tour appears done. The mass withdrawal of collaborating musicians has left the tour’s future hanging in the balance, with no clear path forward for the pop star to salvage the planned U.S. run amid the intensifying political backlash.