Kraft pressures Sheeran to drop Macklemore

Billionaire Robert Kraft demanded Macklemore be removed from Ed Sheeran's stadium tour after the rapper made pro-Palestinian comments onstage at MetLife Stadium.

Kraft's history with pro-Israel funding

Kraft has donated extensively to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and the United Democracy Project, a super PAC that backs pro-Israel candidates.

Sheeran tries to walk the middle line

At his Philadelphia show, Sheeran said he avoids being a political commentator and called Gaza's situation catastrophic while defending venues' right to host diverse views.

“This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views.”

Macklemore called Israel's actions genocide

During MetLife Stadium shows, Macklemore advocated for Palestinian freedom and called Israel's actions genocide, a designation most scholars agree with.

All opening acts quit in solidarity

All four remaining opening acts withdrew from the tour after Macklemore was dropped, taking significant financial hits despite Sheeran's massive platform.

Critics say neutrality enables the powerful

Palestinian activists accused Sheeran of false balance on genocide, while he called the week one of the worst of his life, questioning whether he wanted to be an artist.

“The last week of my life has been one of the worst weeks of my life.”