Pop star Pink has addressed the intense backlash she faced after appearing to criticize rapper Macklemore’s onstage pro-Palestine remarks.
The “Just Give Me A Reason” singer issued a lengthy statement clarifying her stance. She explained that her repost was not a statement and that netizens were putting words in her mouth, while making clear that Macklemore’s actions had been off-putting to her.
The controversy began after she shared a social media post slamming the rapper’s pro-Palestinian remarks and performance during his opening set for Ed Sheeran.
Pink, born Alecia Beth Moore-Hart, has finally broken her silence on the controversy involving her and rapper Macklemore.
The fallout began after Macklemore, who was performing as an opening act during Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour at MetLife Stadium, chanted “Free Palestine” and performed his protest track, “Hind’s Hall,” with Gaza imagery projected across the big screen.
“Criticism of Israel…in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality,” he told Jewish concertgoers.
In response, the “So What” singer reshared a post from an advocacy group that slammed Macklemore’s performance as “anti-Israel propaganda.” She also posted follow-up memes as criticism mounted.
The move drew intense backlash, with many internet users accusing her of prejudice and calling for a boycott of anything associated with her.
Pink Says Her Macklemore Repost ‘Isn’t A Statement’
Now, in a lengthy statement shared on Instagram, the 47-year-old singer addressed several issues, including how the “Thrift Shop” rapper’s comments alarmed her and how she has felt “lonely” amid the backlash.
First, she said the wording in the memes was not actually hers. She then explained that reposting them is a coping mechanism she uses when she is “hurt.”
“That’s on me. A repost isn’t a statement, and a meme isn’t a spine,” Pink wrote. “Social media makes all of us cheap and fast… But I’d rather be disagreed with for what I actually said than hated for what anybody else wrote.”
Pink Reveals Her Macklemore Concerns Began Years Ago
Pink’s differences with Macklemore seem to have festered for some time before his recent antics.
She wrote that she used to like him and was in the room at the 2014 Grammys when he performed “Same Love,” a song several gay and straight couples had chosen for their weddings.
However, he seemingly goofed four months later by wearing a hooked nose, black beard, and bowl cut while performing. He called it a “random costume” at the time.
“Every Jew I know knew exactly what it was. The same love, it turned out, had a guest list, and we weren’t on it. But he apologized, and I let it go, because that’s what we do. We let it go,” she stated.
Pink Says Macklemore’s Statement, Not His Chant, Prompted Her Repost
Regardless, the incident informed how his future comments might be perceived, especially when they concerned Israel and Jewish people.
She then explained that his onstage statement — not his “Free Palestine” chant — prompted her to reshare the post.
“Then last weekend he stood in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn’t about them. You don’t get to decide that for us,” she added.
Pink doubled down, insisting that she wasn’t looking for him to be canceled or anything of the sort.
“I have never asked for another artist to be silenced, and I’m not asking now. I don’t need anyone fired, and I don’t need a refund,” she declared. “What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I’m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?”
Pink Reaffirms Support For Innocent Civilians On Both Sides
Elsewhere in her lengthy statement, the “TRUSTFALL” songstress proudly reiterated her Jewish identity but lamented that people had mixed everything up without checking her background.
Drawing on her personal background and her decade-long tenure as a UNICEF ambassador, she reiterated her support for innocent civilians on both sides of the conflict, especially children. However, she maintained her previous stance that “Hamas is a terrorist organization.”
“Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and their aspirations. Protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child,” she said.
Social media users still weren’t having it with her, and many took to the comment section to slam her. One user wrote, “A whole post without saying anything meaningful.”
