Ed Sheeran is finally speaking out about the drama surrounding Macklemore and his comments during a recent show.
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On Monday (September 14) it was revealed that Macklemore was being removed from the remaining dates on Sheeran's "The Loop" tour across North America. This came after he made comments in support of Palestine amid the ongoing conflict with Israel. In the aftermath of the decision, Sheeran took to social media to break his silence.
Sheeran Speaks Out After Macklemore Gets Removed From Tour
In his statement, Sheeran revealed that it was the promoter who made the final decision to remove Macklemore, not him.
"Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision; it was not mine. Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me," Sheeran wrote in a social media post on Tuesday (September 15).
"I would never let down the fans who had made plans. Nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians. Who rely on me for work and to make a living."
Following his removal from the tour, Macklemore revealed that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was one of the biggest reasons that he was removed from Sheeran's tour. Kraft made a pact with several other NFL owners to essentially ban Macklemore from performing at their stadiums.
The options were essentially to remove Macklemore from the tour or cancel the tour altogether.
Sheeran confirmed that this was true in his statement.
"After Macklemore's performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting," Sheeran added. "One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue's and promoter's decision was final."
Kraft defended his decision in a statement through a rep on Thursday. He said that Macklemore's pro-Palestine comments were promoting "hate speech."
