Macklemore has been dropped from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour after his ‘Free Palestine’ comments sparked controversy
Macklemore has been removed from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following controversy over the rapper’s comments supporting Palestine during a recent performance.
A spokesperson for Messina Touring Group, the promoter for Sheeran’s U.S. tour, confirmed Monday that Macklemore would no longer perform as an opening act. The statement said venues on upcoming tour dates would not allow concerts to proceed with Macklemore on the lineup.
The promoter said keeping him on the tour could have resulted in cancellations affecting hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore was therefore removed from the remaining support dates.
The decision comes less than two weeks after Macklemore performed at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. During his opening set, he told the audience that part of his reason for joining the tour was to use stadium performances to say “Free Palestine”.
Macklemore says Ed Sheeran and his team decided to remove him from tour due to his comments in support of Palestine, after Kraft Group rallied stadium owners and gave Ed an ultimatum:
“[Ed] told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were… pic.twitter.com/NQneebKFDh
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 14, 2026
Macklemore has publicly supported Palestinians for years. In 2024, he released “Hind’s Hall”, a protest song addressing the war in Gaza, which he also performed before Sheeran’s set at MetLife Stadium.
His comments during the tour prompted an Israeli-American Council petition calling for his removal. Singer Pink also faced criticism after resharing a post supporting the decision to drop him from the tour.
Macklemore later addressed the response, saying criticism of Israel and opposition to genocide should not be interpreted as criticism of Jewish people. He also wrote on X that wanting equal treatment for all people should not be controversial.
The next U.S. Loop Tour date is scheduled for September 19 in Philadelphia, where Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe are set to perform as opening acts. Sheeran’s U.S. dates continue through November 7.
