Ed Sheeran says promoter, not him, removed Macklemore after anti-Israel remarks

Topic: geopoliticsRegion: Middle EastUpdated: i3 outletsSources: 7⚠ Bias gap — sources divergeSpectrum: Mostly Center⏱ 3 min read⚠ 48h+ old

📰 Scored from 3 outletsacross 1 Center 2 RightHow we score bias →

Story Summary

SITUATION

Ed Sheeran said the promoter removed Macklemore from upcoming tour dates after the rapper made anti-Israel remarks during a recent performance (per nypost.com). Sheeran added that Macklemore's contract was with the promoter and that he spoke with Robert Kraft, while pledging not to abandon touring crew and support acts (per nypost.com).

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Spectrum: Mostly Center🌍US: 3

Political Spectrum

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i3 outlets · Center

Left

Center

Right

Left: 0

Center: 1

Right: 2

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Distribution of where coverage is coming from.

i3 unique outlets · Dominant: US/Canada

All3 US/CA3 · 100%

KEY FACTS

A promoter removed Macklemore from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran's Loop tour after Macklemore said "free Palestine" onstage at MetLife Stadium.
Macklemore said on Instagram that "Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium" and that Kraft rallied other stadium owners to give an ultimatum.
The Israeli American Council launched a petition calling for Macklemore's removal after his remarks.
Ed Sheeran said Macklemore coming off tour "was the promoter's decision," according to the article.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told TMZ she will boycott Ed Sheeran on the radio and warned the removal sets a dangerous precedent.
Macklemore told the crowd at MetLife Stadium that a major reason he joined the tour was to say "Free Palestine."
After the MetLife Stadium appearance, multiple venues told the tour promoter they would not host shows with Macklemore on the bill.
Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran's stadium tour.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The immediate backdrop is the active U.S.–Israel military campaign against Iran that began with coordinated strikes in March 2026; those strikes against Iranian power plants, air defenses and military infrastructure came after months of escalating regional incidents and Iranian-linked attacks on shipping and proxies that Western governments had cited as threats to regional security.

The March 2026 campaign provoked a series of Iranian military responses across the region, deepening a crisis that has driven intense political and public debate in North America and Europe and heightened scrutiny of public figures’ statements about the conflict. Those kinetic events rest on a lattice of treaties, agreements and sanction regimes dating back more than a decade.

Brief

Ed Sheeran pushed back publicly against claims he removed Macklemore from upcoming tour dates after the rapper made anti-Israel remarks during a recent performance. In an Instagram post summarized by the New York Post, Sheeran said the decision to drop Macklemore "was the promoter's decision" and stressed that "Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me." Sheeran added that he had spoken with Patriots owner Robert Kraft about the situation and that he would not "abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living."

The account in the New York Post centers Sheeran's denial of personal responsibility and frames the promoter as the actor who removed Macklemore; the outlet also highlights Sheeran's public defense of his crew and his outreach to Robert Kraft. The source does not quote the promoter, Macklemore, or Kraft directly, and it does not provide the exact language Macklemore used onstage that provoked the decision. Because the single available report is from the New York Post, independently verifiable details are limited to Sheeran's Instagram statements reported there: his denial of personal involvement, his contractual explanation that Macklemore's deal was with the promoter, his contact with Robert Kraft, and his pledge to support touring staff. The article leaves several open questions: which promoter made the decision, whether Macklemore’s removal is temporary or permanent, and whether Macklemore or his representatives have responded. For now, the concrete, documented facts are narrow: a performance by Macklemore included anti-Israel remarks; the promoter removed Macklemore from upcoming dates; and Ed Sheeran publicly disputed that he ordered the removal while emphasizing contractual lines and the livelihoods of crew and support acts. Absent additional reporting that quotes the promoter or Macklemore, the dispute rests on Sheeran's Instagram account as reported by the New York Post.

Where sources differ

Bias gap0.50 / 2.0

Left- and right-leaning outlets are covering this story differently — in which facts to emphasize, which context to include, and how to frame causes and consequences.

Center (4)

facebook.comaljazeera.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.comespn.com

Right-leaning (2)

ny_post_news+0.80

Macklemore made anti-Israel remarks during a recent performance, and he was removed from upcoming tour dates. Ed Sheeran denied he personally kicked Macklemore off the tour, saying…

washington_examiner+0.70

Promoters removed Macklemore from Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour after Macklemore said "free Palestine" during a Sept. 4 speech, and all remaining opening acts pulled themselves from the t…

Related Developments1 story

Aaron Rowe quits Ed Sheeran's LOOP tour, cites 'Israeli genocide' and backs Macklemore

After Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s LOOP tour over Israel-critical comments, Aaron Rowe announced he was quitting the tour in solidarity. Rowe framed his exit as refusal to let “billionaires” silence voices opposing what he called “Israeli genocide,” and he thanked Sheeran for the opportunity (per nypost.com).

3d ago

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Sources

6 of 6 linked articles