Hollywood Stars Rip Ed Sheeran for Removing Macklemore Over Gaza Comments

Following Ed Sheeran's decision to remove Macklemore from his Loop Tour over the rapper's pro-Palestine statements, a wave of criticism has erupted from prominent figures across entertainment and politics.

"Hacks" performer Hannah Einbinder, recognized for her vocal political commentary, shared a pointed message on Instagram stories Tuesday. "Ed Sheeran i say this as a ginger. i hope you get a REALLY bad sun burn. the kind on the back of your entire body where it hurts to lie down or walk or sit," she wrote.

YouTuber and children's content creator Ms. Rachel also used Instagram to voice her disapproval of Sheeran's actions. On Monday, she posted, "Ed Sheeran had an opportunity [to] show that we won't be bullied into punishing people for supporting Palestine. Instead he caved to people who refuse to accept what the world knows. A genocide is happening in Gaza. We all need to speak out against it."

Ms. Rachel further elaborated on her stance, stating, "If more than 20,000 white children were killed in another part of the world, everyone would be shouting about it at their concerts. Treating some children's lives as less worthy of outrage is racist. Silence during a genocide is not neutral."

"Wicked" performer Marissa Bode, who uses a wheelchair, expressed her condemnation via TikTok. "Ed Sheeran, my legs may not work like they used to before, but at least I have a fucking spine. Free Palestine, bitch!" she declared in the video.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also weighed in, targeting Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner whom Macklemore identified as partially responsible for his exit from the tour. Sanders posted on X: "In the United States of America, billionaire stadium owners should not be able to silence artists because they speak out on political issues. Today it is the genocide in Gaza. What's next? If they can silence one artist, they can silence anyone."

The controversy began on September 4th when Macklemore performed at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium and announced "Free Palestine" during his set. The statement generated significant media coverage, and on September 14th, Sheeran removed Macklemore from the Loop Tour. That same day, Macklemore issued a detailed Instagram statement outlining his perspective on the removal. He explained, "Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, 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."

Macklemore continued, "Ed was in a fucked up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. He told me that the words 'Free Palestine' and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn't get past his public facing, 'I don't take sides.'"

On September 15th, Sheeran released his own statement in response. He asserted that he had engaged with venue operators "at length all week to try and build a bridge" following Macklemore's remarks. Sheeran also maintained that the decision to remove Macklemore was "the promoter's decision, it was not mine."

Sheeran added, "I 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."

Despite Sheeran's comments, openers Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, and Irish band Beoga all left the tour after Macklemore was dropped.

On Wednesday, Macklemore made an announcement that he would allocate the full $1 million in net profits from the Loop Tour toward organizations supporting Palestinian communities. In an Instagram post, he wrote, "With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom. I will be donating the entire $1 million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour to six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people. And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth."

Following Macklemore's announcement, Kraft released a statement indicating that both he and Sheeran are contributing $2 million each toward supporting Palestinians. The announcement, posted through the Gillette Stadium X account, declared, "I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting. Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis. Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges." AM