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Macklemore is not staying silent. Rolling Stone broke the news that the Grammy-winner would no longer perform on Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour due to statements he made at a MetLife stadium show supporting Palestine.
In a lengthy statement, Macklemore explained his feelings about the decision and gave his audience a full picture of what went down.
“Ed [Sheeran] is my friend. I’ve known him for 13 years…. I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened [in Gaza]… Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him,” Macklemore posted. “We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. He 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…
He continued.
“Ed was in a f***** up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood.”
Robert Kraft has donated Millions to Israel and is a noted supporter of normalizing the country’s involvement in outreach exhibitions.
Macklemore says Robert Kraft — who owns Gillette Stadium, where Macklemore & Ed Sheeran were to perform later this month — called Sheeran.
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) September 14, 2026
Kraft rallied other owners together behind an ultimatum for Sheeran: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you won't be allowed in our venues. pic.twitter.com/0JyBQGzpPT
Macklemore Addresses Everything
Macklemore made it clear he understands why they’re trying to silence him.
“But [Ed Sheeran] couldn’t get past his public facing, ‘I don’t take sides’…. I hope this isn’t the end of my relationship with Ed. Thirteen years of friendship doesn’t disappear because of one painful disagreement. I hope we both continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this. My door will always be open to continuing that conversation…. I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say. Free Palestine. But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”
He finished by saying.
“What I said at MetLife I have been saying on stages around the world for almost three years. So why is it an issue now?,” Macklemore posted. “Because now I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America.. At a certain level of exposure, ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too much of a risk. 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. Maybe that’s why this time it became so important to silence me..”
