Rapper Macklemore claimed on Monday that Jewish NFL owner Robert Kraft exerted pressure on pop star Ed Sheeran to drop him from their nationwide joint tour. Macklemore, notorious for a string of aggressive anti-Israel and pro-‘Palestinian’ stunts, issued an erratic statement casting himself as the victim of a supposed “global conspiracy” orchestrated to silence detractors of Israel.
According to Macklemore’s posts on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Sheeran said Kraft called him directly and warned that the tour would be barred from performing at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, owned by the Kraft Group. Macklemore further alleged that Kraft rallied fellow stadium operators to present Sheeran with a coordinated ultimatum. If Macklemore remained on the lineup, Sheeran would be prohibited from taking the stage at their respective venues.
The decision to kick the rapper off the tour—which was scheduled to include eight additional dates across the United States—came after Macklemore wrapped a keffiyeh around his head and declared during a prior opening performance: “I wanted to stand here on stages across America and say two words close to my heart: Free Palestine.”
Video: social media
Video documentation circulating online showed that during the same set, Macklemore projected images onto concert screens describing events in Gaza as a “Holocaust”—just weeks after he made headlines at an appearance in Seattle by chanting “F*** America.”
Days after the controversial performance, Sheeran’s management team officially confirmed that Macklemore had been removed from the remaining tour stops, noting that multiple major stadiums refused to host the shows if the opening act remained on the bill.