Ed Sheeran Addresses Macklemore Tour Exit, Claims Decision Was Not His

Ed Sheeran is saying his piece amid an onslaught of backlash to the removal of Macklemore as his opening act on tour, with the pop star clarifying his beliefs on the violence in Gaza and his approach to activism.

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In a bulleted statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday (Sept. 15) — one day after it was announced that the rapper had been dropped from the U.S. leg of the British singer’s Loop Tour for his “Free Palestine” demonstration on stage at two of the shows — Sheeran began by saying he’s “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine.”

“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,” he continued. “I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said.”

In his post — captioned “It’s important that I set out some facts” — Sheeran went on to say that he’d spent the past week conversing with the stadiums as well as “activists on both sides” in an attempt to unify everyone involved. “The venue’s and promoter’s decision was final,” the four-time Grammy winner wrote. “I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so.”

Billboard has reached out to Macklemore’s rep for comment.

Controversy surrounding the Loop Tour first started earlier in September when the “Thrift Shop” artist passionately called for an end to the violence Palestinians have suffered in Israel’s war against Hamas since the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. As of June, more than 73,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the conflict, the Associated Press reported, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Macklemore has been one of the most vocal musicians in amplifying the stance that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, something that has been acknowledged by the United Nations but denied by Israel and its allies, including the United States government. On stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the rapper declared, “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.”

After the Israeli-American Council launched a petition to remove Macklemore from Sheeran’s tour — calls echoed by many others online, including Pink — the trek’s promoter, Messina Touring Group, told Rolling Stone on Monday (Sept. 14) that it had done so after concluding his continuation on the bill would “result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans.”

In his post, Sheeran emphasized that it was Messina who made the decision, not him. “I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes,” the “Shape of You” artist wrote. “However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. 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.”

Sheeran’s explanation — as well as his remark that he is “not complicit” and has his own “personal views on this devastating conflict” in the post — is likely a response to Macklemore’s own statement about the tour shake-up, posted Tuesday shortly after the announcement that he is no longer on the tour. While stressing that he considers Sheeran a “brother” with whom he’s shared 13 years of friendship, the rapper diplomatically criticized his tourmate’s “I don’t take sides” approach to political matters.

“There is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed,” Macklemore wrote at the time. “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. But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”

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Macklemore also named Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, as the driving force behind rallying other venue owners to insist that they would not host Sheeran’s tour if the “Same Love” musician stayed on the bill. Later, in his post, Sheeran confirmed that he had spoken directly to Kraft.

Kraft issued a statement of his own on Tuesday on the heels of Macklemore’s, saying that the ultimatum was “not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf … but that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community.”

See Sheeran’s full statement below.

_Originally reported by [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/ed-sheeran-drop-macklemore-from-tour-decision-not-mine-1236340495/)._