Ed Sheeran Faces Calls to Drop Macklemore After ‘Free Palestine’ Tour Speech

Ed Sheeran is facing calls to drop Macklemore from his US Loop Tour after the rapper used his support sets at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium to deliver a pro-Palestinian message, including the words “Free Palestine”.

The controversy followed Macklemore’s appearances before Ed Sheeran on 4 and 5 September. During his set, the rapper wore a keffiyeh and introduced his 2024 protest track “Hind’s Hall” with remarks about Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Footage connected to Gaza and pro-Palestinian demonstrations was also shown on stadium screens.

The Israeli-American Council has since launched a petition calling on Sheeran and his team to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates on which he is booked, arguing that concertgoers should not have been confronted with what the organisation described as one-sided political messaging.

Macklemore defends his message

Macklemore has stood by his comments. In his second MetLife appearance, he directly addressed Jewish listeners, saying that his criticism of Israel was not criticism of Jewish people and describing his message as one of peace, dignity and equality.

He subsequently shared footage from the speech on social media with the message that wanting all humans to be treated equally should not be controversial.

The rapper has been publicly outspoken about the war in Gaza for several years. “Hind’s Hall”, released in 2024, was written in support of pro-Palestinian student protests and takes its name from the renaming by protesters of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in memory of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child killed in Gaza.

Macklemore’s characterisation of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide is strongly disputed by Israel. Reporting on the controversy has therefore attributed that description to Macklemore rather than presenting it as an uncontested finding.

Other artists enter the Ed Sheeran Macklemore controversy

The row has widened beyond the two performers. P!nk shared an Instagram Story from the advocacy group StopAntisemitism criticising Macklemore’s performance and calling for an apology and refunds for concertgoers.

Boy George has also criticised both Macklemore’s comments and Sheeran’s lack of a public response. Writing on social media, he questioned whether Sheeran would support Macklemore or remove him from the tour, and later criticised the “Free Palestine” slogan and Sheeran’s continued silence. His intervention itself prompted further debate online.

The increasingly polarised reaction illustrates why the story is no longer simply about one speech at one concert. It has become a wider argument about political expression on major music tours, what audiences should expect from support acts, and where responsibility lies when an artist booked for a stadium show uses that platform to address a divisive international conflict.

Macklemore remains on Ed Sheeran’s tour

Crucially, there has been no confirmed change to the tour line-up. At the time of writing, Ed Sheeran’s official website still lists Macklemore as support for the next US date at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on 19 September, alongside Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe.

Macklemore is also still listed for further dates in Foxborough, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Arlington and Tampa. That means reports saying Sheeran has been asked to remove him should not be confused with a decision to do so.

Sheeran has not publicly addressed the calls for Macklemore’s removal at the time of publication. The Times and other outlets have reported that representatives had not responded to requests for comment, while Macklemore has continued to defend the principles behind his speech.

For now, the confirmed position is straightforward: Macklemore used his MetLife support appearances to voice support for Palestine; an Israeli-American organisation has formally called for him to be removed; several high-profile musicians have joined the public argument; and Ed Sheeran’s own tour listings continue to show Macklemore on the bill.

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