Singer Ed Sheeran In Middle Free Speech Debate

Ed Sheeran’s promoter dropped Macklemore from the singer’s stadium tour after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other NFL owners moved to block the rapper from performing, saying his onstage accusations that Israel was committing genocide amounted to hate speech.

Kraft told Sheeran he would not host Macklemore at Gillette Stadium. Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank had already reached the same conclusion, people familiar with the matter said, and Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie soon did as well. The owners traded calls and prepared to cancel Sheeran’s dates if Macklemore remained on the bill.

Faced with losing some of his biggest U.S. stops, Sheeran’s promoter removed Macklemore. Other supporting acts, including Sheeran’s backing band, later withdrew in solidarity.

Sheeran, Kraft

The Wall Street Journal reports that during a 40-minute conversation last week, Kraft told Sheeran that while he felt for the Palestinian people and understood the conflict was complicated, he believed Macklemore’s comments were hate speech, not free speech, according to a person familiar with the call. The real problem, Kraft said, was Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. 

He also noted that Macklemore had been accused of antisemitism in 2014 for wearing a costume featuring Jewish stereotypes, including a beard and oversized hook nose. Macklemore apologized at the time and said he did not intend to impersonate a Jewish person. A spokeswoman for Macklemore declined to comment.

The episode has put Sheeran — one of the biggest touring acts in pop, known for warm, mainstream hits — at the center of a free-speech fight over an issue dividing the country.

Kraft, 85, is not usually in the business of vetting opening acts at his NFL stadium. He had a longstanding relationship with Sheeran, who performed at Kraft’s 2022 wedding. That did not keep him from intervening once he learned one of the tour’s supporting artists was, in his view, using the shows to accuse Israel of genocide.