Everything You Need to Know About the Ed Sheeran-Macklemore Controversy
Sheeran is facing intense backlash after dropping Macklemore from his tour.
Ed Sheeran is facing a torrential wave of backlash after dropping Macklemore from his current U.S. tour. Here’s what you need to know.
At the beginning of Sheeran’s U.S. tour in New Jersey earlier this month, Macklemore took the stage as his opening act and reiterated his support for Palestine.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine,'” he said. “I said ‘Free Palestine.’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
It didn’t take long for some people to claim Macklemore’s words were actually antisemitism and “anti-Israel propaganda.” This perspective was amplified by Pink sharing a post from @stop_antisemitism on Instagram that demanded the rapper apologize for turning “a mainstream event into a political nightmare against the Jewish state.”
Pink’s decision to jump into the fray prompted its own wave of backlash (and her own lengthy defense), while also drawing further attention to calls for Sheeran to drop Macklemore from the remainder of his tour.
Those calls were heeded.
On September 14, Macklemore shared via Instagram that “Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour.” He explained that Sheeran told him stadium owners were threatening to block the tour if Macklemore wasn’t dropped.
“Ed was in a fucked up position,” he wrote. “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.”
The next day, Sheeran himself shared a lukewarm post that generally lined up with Macklemore’s account, although he shifted the blame wholly to the venues and promoter. Perhaps more importantly, he reaffirmed that he chooses to stay silent.
“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,” he wrote. “I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.”
“There are different approaches to being an advocate for change,” he added.
While Sheeran may feel that sitting back and letting this play out around him is a form of staying apolitical, the other artists on his tour clearly don’t agree. By Tuesday afternoon, every supporting act for his tour had dropped out, including his own touring band.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
And the backlash against Sheeran specifically has only continued to grow, as other public figures express support for Macklemore and/or blatantly call Sheeran out for his attempt at neutrality.
Fans are also absolutely dragging Sheeran for his complicity.
Sheeran’s North America tour is currently scheduled to resume on September 19 in Philadelphia, PA, and run through early November. We’ll see how that goes.
