Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour for speaking out about what’s going on in Palestine, and Ed has finally responded to the backlash.

On Sept. 4 and 5, the “Thrift Shop” rapper opened for the British singer-songwriter at MetLife Stadium. Macklemore took the opportunity to “say two words that are very near and dear to [his] heart.” What those two words ended up being were “free Palestine.”

Macklemore then gave a speech about Palestine and mentioned other injustices going on around the world, emphasizing that all people deserve equal freedom. He also added, “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.”

Watch Macklemore’s speech on his Instagram here.

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Following his speech, some people felt that he was promoting “anti-Israel propaganda,” which prompted his removal from the tour. Macklemore then addressed his removal in an Instagram post, stating, “Ed is my friend. I’ve known him for 13 years. […] our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.”

“[…] Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. 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.”

Robert Kraft gave his own statement on the matter, explaining, “Based on Macklemore’s recent actions […] 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.”

“[…] I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say. Free Palestine.” You can read Macklemore’s full statement below:

Many celebrities supported Macklemore, with activist Greta Thunberg commenting, “Full solidarity and free Palestine ❤️ Artists’ very active silence in the face of injustice and genocide will not be forgotten.” Beloved YouTube educator Ms. Rachel also chimed in on the issue, stating, “Imagine looking back 20 years from now at yourself kicking someone off a tour because they spoke out during a genocide that has killed over 20,000 kids.”

Fans also rallied behind him, commenting things like “We support you till our last breath,” and “Be light and the voice the people need during these insanely dark times. ✊”

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As Macklemore mentioned in his statement, however, one celeb was pretty critical about his performance. Singer Pink reposted a post that condemned him for his actions, and she later addressed her repost on Instagram in her own words: “[…] 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.”

Amid all this controversy, fans noticed that Kanye West is also touring at stadiums that denounced Macklemore. Kanye has made manyyyyyy antisemitic remarks over the years, so many find it pretty hypocritical for stadiums to allow him to headline at their venue while refusing to let Macklemore perform.

This stadium demanded Macklemore be dropped for saying Free Palestine but had no problem promoting Kanye who wrote a song titled ‘Heil Hitler’ and sold merchandise with a swastika on it. https://t.co/FAjnrFO4Ll

— 𝓔𝓶 ♡ (@emkenobi) September 14, 2026

ATTStadium / emkenobi / Via x.com

Kanye West sings “Heil Hitler,” and he sells out stadiums worldwide with no issues or backlash. Macklemore says “Free Palestine” at the beginning of a tour at one stadium and gets kicked off.It was never about “combatting anti-semitism”.

— Ariana Jasmine (@arianajasmine__) September 14, 2026

arianajasmine / Via x.com

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People also noticed that Ed Sheeran performed at Robert Kraft’s wedding in 2022. At the time, Ed even went so far as to say that he and Robert have a “lovely relationship.” And, yes, this is the same guy who rallied for Macklemore’s removal… 😬

So, where does Ed really stand on this whole situation? Well, earlier today, he took to Instagram to finally share his perspective: “I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. […] Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist. As with all my support acts, I agree that they play a setlist of their choosing.”

“After Macklemore’s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting. […] I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft. […] Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.”

“[…] There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics – my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. However, there is room for multiple approaches […] I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary […] If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change.”

You can read Ed’s full statement here:

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While the comments are off on Ed’s post, that didn’t stop fans from commenting about it elsewhere. One redditor referred to his post as a “spineless ‘response’.” Another person commented, “You don’t get to say ‘I am not complicit’ when your stance is silence. Silence is complicity.”

People were also furious about Ed’s comment about having children as fans. In reference to the children in Gaza, one person stated, “I guess their trauma just doesn’t count quite the same as the children traumatized by flags at an Ed Sheeran concert.”

Ms. Rachel also chimed in again to address Ed’s support for other political movements, stating, “Ed Sheeran is making a political statement to his fans when he does a concert to support Ukraine, but considers Palestine too dangerous and political.”

What do you think about Ed’s response amid all of the backlash? Let us know in the comments.

Note: Comments have been edited for length/clarity.

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