Ed Sheeran Feels 'Used and Exploited' Amid Macklemore Fallout
Sources say several celebrities and support acts have turned on Sheeran, leaving him emotionally exhausted as he faces criticism over Macklemore’s removal.
- Rapper Macklemore was removed from British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran's Loop tour earlier this month following pro-Palestine comments, a decision Sheeran attributed to Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft.
- Following the removal, several opening acts including BIIRD, Aaron Rowe, and Beoga withdrew in protest, while sources claim Sheeran feels "exploited and used" by contemporaries enjoying the publicity at his expense.
- Sheeran performed in Philadelphia on September 19 with three new musicians who learned his songs in three days, admitting he felt "completely exhausted emotionally" from the ongoing fallout.
- Singer Charlotte Church accused Sheeran of choosing "consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing," while Sting said the singer faces "a difficult dilemma" amid the controversy.
- Addressing 50,000 fans in Philadelphia, Sheeran said, "Everyone's telling me to cancel, and I'm feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandoned me," while Oxfordshire farmer Jeremy Clarkson defended him as "unbelievably polite and likeable.
28 Articles
28 Articles
The Independent
The Independent (US)How Ed Sheeran let down Ireland with the Macklemore Palestine row
The singer-songwriter is in the middle of arguably the biggest test of his career to date, amid controversy over the axing of support act Macklemore for his remarks on Palestine. Roisin O’Connor looks at why, in Sheeran’s beloved Ireland, the backlash feels particularly fierce
Ed Sheeran Backlash Marks Palestine’s South Africa Moment
By Ali Abunimah – Sep 18, 2026 The attempt to punish rapper Macklemore for speaking out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza has become a public relations disaster for mega-star Ed Sheeran and billionaire Israel supporter Robert Kraft. Sheeran’s supporting acts withdrew from his tour and prominent artists and politicians have rallied around the rapper. I discussed the […]
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