Rapper Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour for supporting Palestine
The other groups also left the tour as a sign of solidarity.
Rapper Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's tour due to his support for Palestine
Ed Sheeran has been continuing his worldwide concert tour named Loop for his eighth album "Play" since January 2026. So far, the singer has performed at a number of venues in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the USA.
During the tour, Sheeran is accompanied by several performers to energize the audience during the concerts. One of them — rapper Macklemore (real name Ben Haggerty) — gave a short speech in support of Palestine between songs at a concert in New Jersey on September 4. Standing on stage, he said he wanted the people of Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they are "not forgotten":
"One of the main reasons I wanted to go on this tour is the opportunity to perform in stadiums like this and say two words that are very close and dear to my heart: 'Free Palestine!'"
The next day, the musician addressed Jewish listeners, saying: "Criticizing Israel, apartheid, and genocide is not criticism against you."
Following this, Messina Touring Group, the company organizing Sheeran's US tour, began receiving notices from concert venue owners refusing to allow performances featuring Macklemore. Representatives of stadiums in Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Dallas, and Tampa, where Sheeran was scheduled to perform, also opposed it.
As a result, Macklemore was removed from the tour lineup, and the remaining performers suspended their participation as a sign of solidarity. First, Irish singer Aaron Rowe and the Irish band Beoga (a group that performs several songs with Sheeran during the main concert) announced they had made this decision. "As Irish people, we know all too well about genocide, forced starvation, and brutal occupation," Rowe wrote. Additionally, the Danish band Lukas Graham and American musician Finneas, brother of singer Billie Eilish, also chose not to join the tour.
Later, Sheeran said that the decision to remove Macklemore was made by Messina Touring Group, the promoter of the American leg of the tour. At the same time, the singer emphasized that he respects "Macklemore's decision to defend his beliefs and speak loudly about them," but prefers "not to use his professional platform for political statements."