Macklemore‘s time on Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour has come to an end after two concerts. Still, the “Same Love” rapper, who faced scrutiny for his recent onstage calls to “Free Palestine,” contends it’s “the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”
Grammy winner Macklemore confirmed reports on Monday that “Ed Sheeran and his team” removed him from future tour dates, saying in a lengthy statement shared to Facebook that his continued, vocal support for Palestinians amid Israel’s war on Gaza has cost him professionally.
In his post, he said Sheeran’s team decided to remove him from the tour after he and the “Shape of You Singer” shared “some difficult conversations this past week.”
Last week, Macklemore, 43, drew ire from some Jewish advocacy groups over a pair of concerts at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium where he rallied for Palestinian independence onstage and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” which called for a ceasefire and an end to Israeli occupation. At the time, Macklemore criticized Israel for the war in Gaza and accused it of genocide, accompanied by projected video footage of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, including UCLA.
Video of the performance spread online, sparking criticism from groups including Stop Antisemitism, which accused Macklemore on Instagram of turning “a mainstream event into a political nightmare against the Jewish state.” The Israeli American Council and the Anti-Defamation League also decried Macklemore’s performance on social media, with the former publishing a petition calling on Sheeran to remove the rapper from the remaining shows of his tour.
“Our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened,” Macklemore said in his Facebook post, before going into depth about an alleged conversation between Sheeran and billionaire Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, where Sheeran is set to play later this month.
“Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,” Macklemore wrote. “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Neither representatives for Sheeran nor the Kraft Group immediately responded on Monday to The Times’ request for comment.
Macklemore wrote that Sheeran’s “typical apolitical stance was being challenged” amid the public scrutiny and “he couldn’t get past his public facing, ‘I don’t take sides.’ ” The rapper has been a vocal supporter of Palestinian independence since the beginning of the current conflict in 2023.
During one of his concerts, Macklemore spoke to his Jewish attendees, clarifying his stance by saying that “criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.”
Macklemore, also known for hits “Downtown” and “Can’t Hold Us,” said he is hopeful the tour does not mean an end to his friendship with Sheeran.
