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This op-ed was originally published on Refinery29 Australia. Since he first graced our screens in the early 2010s, sweeping red curls and all, Ed Sheeran has become somewhat of the people’s prince, a universally beloved, unproblematic artist who heralds unity, love, and acceptance. Bops that transcend generations and unite audiences are his modus operandi, and it’s one that’s never tired — it works, it resonates, and it fills stadiums. Sheeran’s ‘friend to all’ mentality has been the bedrock of his wide-reaching, controversy-free empire — until now.
In case you missed it, earlier this month, American rapper Macklemore was dropped as the support act for the remainder of the US leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, after drawing headlines for pro-Palestine comments made before playing his protest song Hind’s Hall, his powerful single that calls for an end to the Gaza genocide. First and foremost, Macklemore’s comments should come as no surprise to anyone. The rapper has long been outspoken about the genocide in Gaza, and has consistently used his platform to call for justice. Mere hours later, the phones started ringing. Industry bigwigs sitting at the helm of upcoming venues caught wind of the comments and issued an ultimatum: remove the rapper from the lineup, or the show wouldn’t go on.
In appeasing industry power brokers, Sheeran claimed neutrality, yet in doing so, made the most political decision of his career.
The billionaire owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, Robert Kraft, condemned Macklemore’s actions, labelling them “antisemitic rhetoric.” In a similar vein, management of Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium called for Macklemore’s immediate removal — despite having hosted Kanye West just months earlier, a rapper who has repeatedly spewed antisemitic conspiracy theories, praised Adolf Hitler and sold merchandise featuring the swastika. In a lengthy Instagram carousel posted yesterday, Macklemore confirmed that Sheeran and his team had made the decision to remove him from the tour. Amid the rapper’s humility and staunch words on solidarity and justice, Sheeran’s good-boy persona began to falter. Addressing his friend’s position, Macklemore stated: “His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before,” adding, “but there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.”
After Macklemore’s removal made waves across social media, Sheeran took to Instagram to post his own statement, in what can only be described as a hollow attempt to sidestep accountability and reinforce his neutrality. The backlash was swift. In one of the slides, the English singer wrote: “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,” while simultaneously disabling the comments. In appeasing industry power brokers, Sheeran claimed neutrality, yet in doing so, made the most political decision of his career.
Some may claim that when an artist with Sheeran’s reach finally voices an opinion, the expectation is that he’ll weigh in on every issue. But this month’s events were nowhere near that complicated. No one demanded that Sheeran abandon his carefully cultivated, conflict-averse persona to brandish about his politics with grand conviction — he simply had to show up for a friend. Yet even that proved too inconvenient, too much of an ask. Conflating “Free Palestine” with antisemitism is a calculated weaponisation of prejudice — and by pandering to industry moguls, Sheeran is complicit. Sure, if he chose to stand with Macklemore and risk jeopardizing the eight remaining shows, fans would be disappointed; some might even be up in arms, but let’s be clear about where the victimhood lies. Sheeran is a millionaire, and refunding tickets and copping some inevitable flak seems a small fee to pay for choosing advocacy over comfort.
But within Sheeran’s statement, there’s a more glaring contradiction that’s harder to ignore. The singer claims he does not use his professional platform for politics, but it seems he’s forgotten his own very public precedents. In 2022, he released a version of 2step, with proceeds from the single going to Ukrainian humanitarian relief. Earlier that year, he headlined the televised Concert for Ukraine benefit, stating, “To all Ukrainians, I love you, I stand with you.” It poses a deeper, more unsettling question: why is he willing to wield his neutrality as a shield when it comes to Palestinian lives? In this moment, Sheeran has shown us exactly where he stands, and in 2026, it doesn’t fly. In a powerful act of resistance, all of Sheeran’s openers, along with his own band, have left the tour in support of Macklemore, choosing principle over convenience and using their platforms for protest. As it stands, Sheeran is now looking down the barrel of an empty stage.
Finneas, the singer-producer best known for his work with sister Billie Eilish, has pulled the pin on opening for Sheeran on the South American leg of the Loop Tour, taking to Instagram to state, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he wrote on Instagram. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.” Additionally, the other two openers for the U.S. leg — Danish pop band Lukas Graham and Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe — announced they would not partake in the rest of the U.S. leg of the Loop Tour. As Lukas Graham so eloquently put it, “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”
And it’s important to remember the real stakes here. This isn’t about Macklemore, Ed Sheeran, or any of the supporting artists and crew. No one in this lineup faces the daily uncertainty of survival. The real victims are in Gaza and the West Bank, still enduring the Israel government’s relentless campaign of violence and genocide.
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Photo: Courtesy of Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for iHeartRadio.
This op-ed was originally published on Refinery29 Australia. Since he first graced our screens in the early 2010s, sweeping red curls and all, Ed Sheeran has become somewhat of the people’s prince, a universally beloved, unproblematic artist who heralds unity, love, and acceptance. Bops that transcend generations and unite audiences are his modus operandi, and it’s one that’s never tired — it works, it resonates, and it fills stadiums. Sheeran’s ‘friend to all’ mentality has been the bedrock of his wide-reaching, controversy-free empire — until now.
In case you missed it, earlier this month, American rapper Macklemore was dropped as the support act for the remainder of the US leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, after drawing headlines for pro-Palestine comments made before playing his protest song Hind’s Hall, his powerful single that calls for an end to the Gaza genocide. First and foremost, Macklemore’s comments should come as no surprise to anyone. The rapper has long been outspoken about the genocide in Gaza, and has consistently used his platform to call for justice. Mere hours later, the phones started ringing. Industry bigwigs sitting at the helm of upcoming venues caught wind of the comments and issued an ultimatum: remove the rapper from the lineup, or the show wouldn’t go on.
“
In appeasing industry power brokers, Sheeran claimed neutrality, yet in doing so, made the most political decision of his career.
”
The billionaire owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, Robert Kraft, condemned Macklemore’s actions, labelling them “antisemitic rhetoric.” In a similar vein, management of Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium called for Macklemore’s immediate removal — despite having hosted Kanye West just months earlier, a rapper who has repeatedly spewed antisemitic conspiracy theories, praised Adolf Hitler and sold merchandise featuring the swastika. In a lengthy Instagram carousel posted yesterday, Macklemore confirmed that Sheeran and his team had made the decision to remove him from the tour. Amid the rapper’s humility and staunch words on solidarity and justice, Sheeran’s good-boy persona began to falter. Addressing his friend’s position, Macklemore stated: “His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before,” adding, “but there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.”
After Macklemore’s removal made waves across social media, Sheeran took to Instagram to post his own statement, in what can only be described as a hollow attempt to sidestep accountability and reinforce his neutrality. The backlash was swift. In one of the slides, the English singer wrote: “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,” while simultaneously disabling the comments. In appeasing industry power brokers, Sheeran claimed neutrality, yet in doing so, made the most political decision of his career.
Some may claim that when an artist with Sheeran’s reach finally voices an opinion, the expectation is that he’ll weigh in on every issue. But this month’s events were nowhere near that complicated. No one demanded that Sheeran abandon his carefully cultivated, conflict-averse persona to brandish about his politics with grand conviction — he simply had to show up for a friend. Yet even that proved too inconvenient, too much of an ask. Conflating “Free Palestine” with antisemitism is a calculated weaponisation of prejudice — and by pandering to industry moguls, Sheeran is complicit. Sure, if he chose to stand with Macklemore and risk jeopardizing the eight remaining shows, fans would be disappointed; some might even be up in arms, but let’s be clear about where the victimhood lies. Sheeran is a millionaire, and refunding tickets and copping some inevitable flak seems a small fee to pay for choosing advocacy over comfort.
But within Sheeran’s statement, there’s a more glaring contradiction that’s harder to ignore. The singer claims he does not use his professional platform for politics, but it seems he’s forgotten his own very public precedents. In 2022, he released a version of 2step, with proceeds from the single going to Ukrainian humanitarian relief. Earlier that year, he headlined the televised Concert for Ukraine benefit, stating, “To all Ukrainians, I love you, I stand with you.” It poses a deeper, more unsettling question: why is he willing to wield his neutrality as a shield when it comes to Palestinian lives? In this moment, Sheeran has shown us exactly where he stands, and in 2026, it doesn’t fly. In a powerful act of resistance, all of Sheeran’s openers, along with his own band, have left the tour in support of Macklemore, choosing principle over convenience and using their platforms for protest. As it stands, Sheeran is now looking down the barrel of an empty stage.
Finneas, the singer-producer best known for his work with sister Billie Eilish, has pulled the pin on opening for Sheeran on the South American leg of the Loop Tour, taking to Instagram to state, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he wrote on Instagram. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.” Additionally, the other two openers for the U.S. leg — Danish pop band Lukas Graham and Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe — announced they would not partake in the rest of the U.S. leg of the Loop Tour. As Lukas Graham so eloquently put it, “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”
And it’s important to remember the real stakes here. This isn’t about Macklemore, Ed Sheeran, or any of the supporting artists and crew. No one in this lineup faces the daily uncertainty of survival. The real victims are in Gaza and the West Bank, still enduring the Israel government’s relentless campaign of violence and genocide.