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Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour following pro-Palestinian remarks

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Cite

Zanger, J. (2026, September 15). Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour following pro-Palestinian remarks. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/macklemore-dropped-from-ed-sheeran-tour/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

CBS News · collected 2026-09-15 · by Jesse Zanger

Quick Summary

Macklemore has been removed from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour following comments supporting Palestine during a recent performance. The Anti-Defamation League and the Israeli American Council criticized Macklemore’s stance, with venues threatening to cancel shows if he remained on the lineup. In response, concert promoter Messina Touring Group announced Macklemore’s removal from all remaining dates of the tour. Macklemore posted about his removal, claiming loss of various opportunities due to speaking out for Palestine and condemning antisemitism while criticizing Israel's policies.
Written by AI on 2026-09-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US tour after making pro-Palestinian comments at concerts. The rapper was removed following his chants of “Free Palestine” and criticism of Israel's actions as apartheid and genocide during performances in New Jersey. Promoters for the tour, Messina Touring Group, confirmed they received notifications from American venues that Macklemore would not be allowed to perform, potentially resulting in tour cancellation. Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium where Sheeran was scheduled to play, reportedly pressured Sheeran over Macklemore’s involvement. In response, Charlotte Church criticized Ed Sheeran during a concert for prioritizing profits over addressing the Gaza conflict.

Written for “Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 120 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour
Entertainment · 121 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Fox News
Hedges 1 of 25 claims Outlet record 69/100
National Post
Hedges 2 of 24 claims Outlet record 60/100
Global News
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 1 of 49 claims Outlet record 63/100
Al Jazeera
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 60/100
BBC News
Hedges 3 of 34 claims Outlet record 68/100
CBC News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 45 claims Outlet record 60/100
Al Jazeera
Hedges 3 of 26 claims Outlet record 60/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 34 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 26 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 65/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
CBS News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
121
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-15 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

CBS News · 4280 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Jesse Zanger
7 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 "There was nothing that was happening that would make people have to disguise themselves as construction workers, surround a man's car with his 5-year-old son in it, coming from school at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and shoot him in the neck in the car," Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.
🔮 A gray vehicle with a bullet hole in the windshield could be seen in the middle of the road.
🔮 The investigation into will be reopened, authorities said Monday.
🔮 "As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran's U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans.
🔮 That someone would harbor such hatred toward our way of life and seek to target the New York State Capitol and New York state senators - that's an attack on democracy itself, and one we will not tolerate."
Also by Jesse Zanger
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 7 articles by Jesse Zanger →

Topics

CAIR Columbia University Jewish Palestinian pro-Palestinian

Subjects

Macklemore PERSON · 15× Sheeran PERSON · 3× CAIR ORG · 2× Ed Sheeran's PERSON · 2× Jewish NORP · 2× Palestinian NORP · 2× .Macklemore PERSON · 1× Columbia University ORG · 1× The Anti-Defamation League ORG · 1× pro-Palestinian NORP · 1×

Narrative

In the same social media post, Macklemore wrote that "antisemitism is real" but added criticism of Israel and Zionism should not be "conflated with hatred of Jewish people." Macklemore has previously been criticized for using imagery and rhetoric that some consider antisemitic, dating to 2014. "Freedom of speech is not freedom from responsibility ...
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-15
🔮 "As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran's U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans.

Claims (20 extracted, 1 hedged)

Performer Macklemore is being dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour after .Earlier asserted
Macklemore → drop → tour
this month, Macklemore spoke out about his pro-Palestinian beliefs while performing his opening act as part of the tour. "The truth is, a big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I can stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine," Macklemore said, according to clips from his set posted on social media. uncertain
Macklemore → speak → media
Macklemore went on to perform a song called "Hind's Hall," a reference to a Columbia University building that protesters renamed during .Macklemore's remarks drew criticism from some and praise from others. asserted
remarks → go → others
The Anti-Defamation League called Macklemore's comments "completely unacceptable," and the Israeli American Council started a petition calling for Macklemore's removal from the remainder of the tour. asserted
Council → call → tour
The concert promoter for the tour announced Macklemore's departure Monday. asserted
promoter → announce → departure
"As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran's U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. asserted
which → notify → fans
After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates," Messina Touring Group said in a statement. asserted
Group → perform → statement
Macklemore posted his response to his removal on social media. asserted
Macklemore → post → media
In his post, he said he is not a victim, that the Palestinian people are. asserted
people → say → post
He claimed he was removed from the tour after Sheeran got a phone call from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who owns one of the stadiums where they were set to play. asserted
they → claim → stadiums
"Taking a side can cost you," he posted. asserted
he → take → you
I've lost all of those things." asserted
I → lose → things
In the same social media post, Macklemore wrote that "antisemitism is real" but added criticism of Israel and Zionism should not be "conflated with hatred of Jewish people." Macklemore has previously been criticized for using imagery and rhetoric that some consider antisemitic, dating to 2014. "Freedom of speech is not freedom from responsibility ... asserted
Freedom → write → responsibility
a concert stage is not a platform for anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda," the IAC said in response to Macklemore's removal. asserted
IAC → say → removal
"When a war is presented one-sidedly, erasing the massacre that led to it ... while the Jewish state alone is presented as the guilty party, the message crosses the line from legitimate political criticism into antisemitism." asserted
message → present → antisemitism
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), however, decried Macklemore's removal. asserted
Council → decry → removal
"We call on Mr. Sheeran and the tour promoters to reverse course. asserted
We → call → course
They should pursue legal options or reschedule his tour rather than give in to bullying by billionaires who care about free speech as much as they care about slaughtered Palestinian children," CAIR Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said. asserted
Mitchell → pursue → children
"Macklemore is taking a courageous and moral stand and Mr. Sheeran should bravely stand with him. asserted
Sheeran → take → him
The companies responsible for this attack on free speech for the benefit of a foreign government must be held accountable." asserted
companies → hold → government
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