Ed Sheeran was one of many to voice support for Macklemore after he released a statement saying New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had organized a stadium boycott and canceled Sheeran’s tour.
Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, claimed on Monday that Kraft called Sheeran and threatened to cancel Sheeran’s planned tour if Macklemore still continued to perform. He also claimed that Mr. Sheeran told Mr. Sheeran that Kraft had rallied other stadium owners to give Mr. Sheeran the same ultimatum.
The ultimatum comes amid criticism of Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian comments during Sheeran’s tour opening performance at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
“I told him that if that word is more offensive than the tens of thousands of Palestinian children killed by Israel, then there is a fundamental disconnect between those people’s positions and my position,” he said of his conversation with Sheeran.
sheeran issued a statement on Instagram Tuesday morning.said it was important to “set some facts straight.” He approved Macklemore’s setlist and acknowledged that the venue contacted him to cancel tour dates after Macklemore joined MetLife.
“I’ve heard this stance is based on how Macklemore conveyed some of his messages during his performance,” Sheeran said. “We talked to the venue all week to build bridges, and one of them was Robert Kraft.”
Ultimately, tour promoters decided to drop Macklemore, Sheeran said. The “Perfect” singer said Macklemore’s contract was with the promoter, not Sheeran.
“I am not complicit. I have a personal view on this devastating conflict,” Sheeran said. “Just because I choose not to talk about them publicly doesn’t mean I don’t have them or that I don’t care.”
He added that he doesn’t use his “professional platform” for politics because the viewers who attend his show come from all backgrounds and “don’t expect a political forum.” Sheeran paid tribute to Macklemore, saying one can take multiple approaches.
Macklemore says he was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft organized a boycott over Ed Sheeran’s pro-Palestinian comments
Messina Touring Group, Sheeran’s tour promoter, told Rolling Stone on Monday. Multiple venues have reportedly been notified that they will not be allowed to hold concerts with Macklemore in the lineup.
The statement said the cancellation “impacts hundreds of thousands of fans” and confirmed that Macklemore will no longer perform on previously scheduled dates.
Macklemore’s Instagram post announcing he was removed from the tour received nearly 800,000 reposts in less than a day. He has received support from all kinds of celebrities, including fellow artists, actors, activists, and internet celebrities.
Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso and is a hugely popular children’s content creator, posted a statement on her Instagram account. She criticized Sheeran for “trying to show that we will not be bullied” to punish those who support Palestinians.
“Instead, he capitulated to those who refuse to accept what the world knows,” Accurso wrote. “Genocide is happening in Gaza, and we all need to speak out against it.”
UN committee says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza Strip According to an independent study published last year. Israeli government officials denied the allegations, calling them “distorted and false.”
Model Bella Hadid shared Macklemore’s statement to her Instagram Stories on Monday, and her sister Alana also commented on Macklemore’s post. Their father, Mohamed Hadid, previously spoke about how the family was forced out of the country. Nazareth home of the Nakba in 1948An estimated 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed in preparation for the creation of Israel.
The 29-year-old model did not comment directly on Macklemore’s situation, but she did share a post from Middle East historian Asal Rad.
“Palestinians are so dehumanized that their defenders are punished while their killers roam free,” Rad wrote. “What does it mean for a society to condone, rather than condemn, the genocide of children?”
Kneecap is an Irish artist. successfully fought terrorism charges in the UK One of the singers, waving a flag from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, posted a photo of him and Macklemore on his account. Macklemore, like Ed Sheeran, is of specifically Irish Catholic descent.
“Love and solidarity to @macklemore,” Kneecap captioned the post. “Let Palestine be free.”
The Patriots’ owner said the popular rapper crossed a line with his comments supporting Palestinians.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud invited Macklemore to a free concert sponsored by the city. Michigan City is home to the largest Arab American community in the country.
“Hey @macklemore, if you don’t want them to perform at the stadium, you’re always welcome in Dearborn. Come play a show here,” Hammoud wrote in a post on X.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said it was “incredibly disappointing” that her constituent Macklemore, who is from Seattle, was removed from the tour because of his support for the Palestinians. She added that now is the time to find a “moral conscience” and “end this genocide.”
“We should all be more outraged that those in power are more upset about an artist’s comments than they are about the displacement, starvation, and murder of innocent Palestinian children and families,” Jayapal said. “Mr. Macklemore, thank you for speaking up.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, thanked Macklemore for “continuing to speak out against genocide” in a post on X.
“No one is free until we are all free,” she wrote.
Sports journalist Jemele Hill I mentioned the situation in my repost. It has been announced that Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, will perform at AT&T Stadium in Texas in November.
“A man who released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ and calls himself a Nazi is welcome to perform in a stadium,” Hill wrote. “This is the man who said there was no free Palestine.”
Sheeran’s tour is scheduled to stop at the stadium in October. It is unclear which stadium owner allegedly told Kraft that he intended to participate in the ultimatum issued to Sheeran.
Representatives for AT&T Stadium, which is owned by the city of Arlington, did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
Macklemore’s own comment section is also filled with support. Celebrities Hannah Einbinder, Marcia Cross and Zara Larsson left multiple heart emojis. “So respectful,” podcaster and internet personality Matt Rogers wrote in an Instagram comment.
Singer Kehlani has also been outspoken in her support of Palestinians, writing that she supports Macklemore and admires him.
“So many venues and owners are coming together like this. It’s an honor to know the brothers,” she wrote.
Activist Greta Thunberg wrote: “Full unity and a free Palestine.”
Thunberg commented on Macklemore’s post, saying, “Artists will never be forgotten for their active silence in the face of injustice and genocide.”
Mr. Kraft did not deny Mr. Macklemore’s accusations in his own statement Monday. He said the decision was based on Macklemore’s “recent actions” on stage and “an extensive history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and harmful to the Jewish community.”
Kraft added that the decision was not intended to stifle Palestinian advocacy or alleviate Palestinian suffering.
“I welcome the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goals are the same: peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate,” Craft said.