The ongoing controversy involving Macklemore and Ed Sheeran took a surprising turn after it was announced that the rapper had been dropped from the tour following his “Free Palestine” remark.
Several stadium owners seemingly forced the promoters’ hand by declaring that they would not allow Macklemore to perform at their venues.
However, fans have taken to social media to call out what many have labeled “hypocrisy” on the stadium executives’ part, particularly as Kanye West is scheduled to perform at some of those same venues despite his history of antisemitic remarks.
Ed Sheeran’s concert promoters removed Macklemore from the remaining dates of his U.S. Loop Tour after several stadium owners seemingly forced their hand by insisting they would not allow the rapper to perform at their venues.
Macklemore, born Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, sparked intense criticism earlier this month when he wore a keffiyeh and chanted “Free Palestine” while performing his protest song “Hind’s Hall” during his opening set at Sheeran’s concert.
The controversy intensified after singer Pink shared a post that accused Macklemore of promoting “anti-Israel propaganda” and called for him to be axed from the tour.
Macklemore Is Dropped From Ed Sheeran’s Tour
Before the controversy, the “Gemini” rapper was scheduled to perform at eight of the tour’s remaining ten shows. The tour is set to resume this weekend in Philadelphia.
However, promoter Messina Touring Group announced that the shows would have to go on without Macklemore because several venues did not want him on their premises.
“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans,” the group said in a statement, per Rolling Stone.
They added, “After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
Macklemore’s Removal Draws Kanye West Comparisons
The decision has raised questions among social media users, who have accused the venues of a blatant double standard because Kanye West remains scheduled to perform at some of the same stadiums.
The “Donda” rapper drew widespread condemnation in 2022 after making a series of antisemitic remarks and social media posts, resulting in the loss of several major brand and creative deals.
His finances also took a major hit, and West lost his billionaire status as his net worth plummeted.
West acknowledged the scale of the damage in an Instagram post addressed to Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, who had urged companies such as Adidas to cut ties with him.
“Ari Emanuel. I lost 2 billion dollars in one day. And I’m still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I am,” West wrote, per Billboard.
Despite that history, West is scheduled to perform at AT&T Stadium on November 7. The venue is reportedly among those that refused to host Macklemore.
Fans were even more surprised that a platform selling tickets for West’s concert mentioned that he had previously declared “that there were admirable things about Hitler.”
Fans Blast Macklemore Decision As ‘Hypocritical’
Social media users have slammed the decision to remove Macklemore from Sheeran’s tour. Many branded the move hypocritical because West remains booked to headline shows at some of the venues that opposed Macklemore’s appearance.
“Oct 24 is Ed’s show and Kanye’s is Nov 7. Two weeks apart,” one Reddit user commented, referring to the two concerts scheduled at AT&T Stadium. “You can’t make this sh-t up… the hypocrisy is out of control.”
“They are all so lazy with pretending it’s about antisemitism that they often forget to pretend it’s about antisemitism,” another person wrote.
“What f-cking world are we living in where saying ‘Free Palestine’ is worse than saying you admire Hitler? F-cking hell,” a third user said.
Another added, “Having Kanye perform at all is crazy, but having that Hitler line on the ticket page is INSANE. Like ‘haha this guy said he liked Hitler, what will he do next? Come watch!’ WTF is going on in this world?”
Macklemore Accuses Robert Kraft Of Driving Tour Removal
Meanwhile, Macklemore released a lengthy statement explaining that neither he, Pink, nor Sheeran should be viewed as victims, as they are all financially secure and have families to return to when all is said and done.
The “Thrift Shop” rapper said the real victims are the Palestinian people “who have been killed, starved, displaced, and forced to live through unimaginable violence.”
Macklemore also said he hoped the incident would not affect his relationship with Sheeran. However, he noted that their friendship “can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.”
He then named the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft as the person who rallied other stadium owners to oppose his appearance or risk having the shows canceled entirely.
Kraft subsequently shared a statement with The Hollywood Reporter, reaffirming his franchise’s commitment to “providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech.”
He added that the decision was based on Macklemore’s recent actions and a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”
