# Macklemore says a stadium owner got him dropped

> Macklemore lost the rest of Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour dates over a Palestine comment, and he says the ban came from outside the tour.
- Title: Macklemore says a stadium owner got him dropped · Variety
- Summary: Macklemore lost the rest of Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour dates over a Palestine comment, and he says the ban came from outside the tour. Macklemore claims the ban…
- Keywords: macklemore, ed sheeran, palestine, music, free speech, entertainment, culture, stadium, owner, got, him, dropped
- Source: Variety — https://variety.com/2026/music/news/macklemore-defends-free-palestine-speech-fired-ed-sheeran-tour-1236861158
- Author: William Earl
- Published: 2026-09-14T16:01:49+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: macklemore, ed sheeran, palestine, music, free speech, entertainment, culture
## Off the tour
Macklemore was dropped from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after comments he made onstage about Palestine drew controversy.
## The phrase at the center
Macklemore says Sheeran told him that saying "Free Palestine" was hurtful to a lot of people, which is the reason he was given for the split.

> 'Free Palestine' was 'hurtful to a lot of people'
## He responded on Instagram
Rather than stay quiet, Macklemore posted a lengthy statement laying out his version of how the removal happened.
## He points at Robert Kraft
In the post, Macklemore seems to blame New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, saying the billionaire rallied other stadium owners to refuse him their venues.
## Not Sheeran, not Pink
Macklemore's account puts the ban on venue owners rather than Sheeran, or even Pink, who had also commented on his onstage statements.
## Kraft stays silent
Variety contacted a representative for Kraft, who did not immediately have a comment on the claim.
## Key takeaway

Macklemore claims the ban came from stadium owners, not Ed Sheeran, with Robert Kraft rallying them.