Support artists pull out of Ed Sheeran tour over Macklemore's departure

All of the artists scheduled to support Ed Sheeran on his upcoming tour have pulled out in protest after US rapper Macklemore was removed as his opener over his comments about Palestine.

Irish musician Aaron Rowe, Danish band Lukas Graham and Billie Eilish's brother and musical collaborator, Finneas, announced late on Tuesday that they were pulling out of Sheeran's The Loop tour.

The collective withdrawal came after Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, claimed he had been taken off the British star's tour after he made pro-Palestinian comments during a show in New Jersey.

Sheeran's backing band, Irish folk group Beoga, also announced they were pulling out.

Lukas Graham and Rowe had been due to open for Sheeran at his next concert in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Rowe said: "I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children. I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal."

A statement on the Lukas Graham Instagram said: "Money doesn't give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we're allowed to acknowledge."

Citing the "silencing of Macklemore", Beoga said: "We are a traditional Irish band who never saw ourselves playing in stadiums of that size and that opportunity is not lost on us."

Finneas said: "Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed".

'I am not complicit'

Earlier on Tuesday, Sheeran said he was "appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine" and described the "suffering and pain caused on both sides" as a human tragedy in a lengthy Instagram statement.

"I am not complicit," he said. "I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care."

Sheeran said his audiences often include children and young people "from all backgrounds", which is why he does not use the stage for politics.

The statement also said the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour came from the promoter and was not his own.

Sheeran said "venues for upcoming concert dates got in touch to say they would pull the gigs if Macklemore was still involved", adding he was told this stance was based "on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message... rather than on everything that was said".

Macklemore told the crowd he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten, which led to a petition demanding he be removed from the remaining dates.

Pink criticised the Thrift Shop artist for standing in "front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn't about them".

She added: "You don't get to decide that for us."

After posting a video of himself on stage during the concert, Macklemore said on social media that "wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial".

His announcement that he had been taken off Sheeran's tour received public support from artists including Kneecap, CMAT and Paloma Faith.

'I would never let down fans'

Sheeran said he had spoken with the venues "all week to try and build a bridge" but the "venue's and promoter's decision was final".

One of these people was Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, where Sheeran is due to play later in September, the statement said.

"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," Sheeran said.

"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."

The singer said he 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".

He said he had always sought to "bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together and this won't ever change".

Sheeran said: "There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics - my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum."

He said he respected Macklemore's "strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes" but that "there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace".

In a statement provided to NBC News, Sky News' US partner network, Mr Kraft said the decision on his venues was reached following Macklemore's comments and "a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community".

He said: "This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real."

Macklemore's advocacy "should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas", Mr Kraft added.

(c) Sky News 2026: Support artists pull out of Ed Sheeran tour over Macklemore's departure