Ed Sheeran Responds To The Macklemore Mess: ‘I Am Not Complicit’

Singer Ed Sheeran has issued a statement on the Macklemore debacle, insisting that he’s unwilling to turn the stage into a political platform.

The singer said that he lets all of his support acts, including Macklemore, choose their own setlists. Venues on upcoming tour dates then told him they would pull their shows if Macklemore stayed on the bill, Sheeran said, following the rapper’s two controversial shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month.

“I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated,” Sheeran shared on Instagram. 

“I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said,” he went on. “I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft.”

“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran added. “Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”

“I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict,” Sheeran wrote. “Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

Sheeran said he does not use his “professional platform” for politics because his audience comes from all backgrounds and does not expect to hear political opinions there.

“I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary,” the statement said.

This was all said in response to Macklemore being dropped by Messina Touring Group from the remainder of Sheeran’s “The Loop” tour in the U.S. following anti-Israel rants he gave on stage while performing as an opening act. Macklemore responded by blaming a Jewish man, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, for orchestrating his cancellation.

“Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour,” he wrote, adding, “I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families. The victims are the Palestinian people.”

Macklemore alleged that Kraft, whose company owns Gillette Stadium, refused to let him perform during Sheeran’s upcoming shows at the Massachusetts venue and “rallied” other stadium owners to take the same position, as The Daily Wire previously reported. 

“We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group,” Macklemore wrote. “Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”

Messina Touring Group, which is promoting the U.S. leg of the tour, confirmed on Monday that multiple venues had said they would “not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup.” The company said it dropped Macklemore following “discussions with stakeholders.”

Macklemore then implied Sheeran was a coward for not taking sides. 

“Ed was in a f*cked up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before,” Macklemore wrote. “But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed. When one side has the bombs and bottomless financial and military support from America, refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle.”

“If I kept doing the shows, saying ‘Free Palestine,’ with Ed implicitly supporting it, the crowd getting loud and showing undeniable support for Palestinian liberation, what artist might speak out next? The stage becomes resistance,” Macklemore went on. “Maybe that’s why this time it became so important to silence me.”

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