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 the local model on 2026-09-15,
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 10126 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-15
Performer Macklemore is being dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour after
.Earlier
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Council → call → tour
The concert promoter for the tour announced Macklemore's departure Monday.
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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.
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which → notify → fans
After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates," Messina Touring Group said in a statement.
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Group → perform → statement
Macklemore posted his response to his removal on social media.
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Macklemore → post → media
In his post, he said he is not a victim, that the Palestinian people are.
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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.
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they → claim → stadiums
"Taking a side can cost you," he posted.
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he → take → you
I've lost all of those things."
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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 ...
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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.
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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."
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message → present → antisemitism
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), however, decried Macklemore's removal.
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Council → decry → removal
"We call on Mr. Sheeran and the tour promoters to reverse course.
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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.
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Mitchell → pursue → children
"Macklemore is taking a courageous and moral stand and Mr. Sheeran should bravely stand with him.
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Sheeran → take → him
The companies responsible for this attack on free speech for the benefit of a foreign government must be held accountable."
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companies → hold → government
The Aporia
