Macklemore says Robert Kraft’s ban led to him being removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour
Macklemore shares pro-Palestinian message on stage, drawing criticism
Macklemore delivered pro-Palestinian comments while opening for Ed Sheeran in New Jersey, drawing praise and criticism.
Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and their stadium, has successfully had Macklemore removed from pop star Ed Sheeran’s tour. The Grammy Award-winning rapper made the revelation himself on Monday, Sept. 14, and Kraft later confirmed it.
Macklemore posted to Instagram that Kraft leaned on Sheeran, one of the world’s top-selling musicians, to remove Macklemore from his lineup due to the “Free Palestine” position Macklemore expressed earlier this month. Sheeran’s “Loop Tour 2026” is scheduled to play at Gillette Stadium, which is owned by Kraft Group, on Sept. 25 and 26 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Macklemore, who shared his pro-Palestinian sentiments earlier this month in two separate shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New York City, will no longer be invited to perform on the tour.
Per Macklemore, Kraft, who is Jewish, contacted Sheeran and told him “that Kraft said (Macklemore) would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.
“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Messina Touring Group, which is promoting Sheeran’s show, told Rolling Stone: “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. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
Kraft, 85, was concerned Macklemore would spread “hate speech” and “antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.”
“I agree with Macklemore,” Kraft expressed in a statement obtained by USA TODAY Sports. “Too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate.”
Kraft also cited the support he himself has provided to Palestine over the years.
Macklemore, 43, said he and other celebrities involved in the controversy are not victims.
“We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world,” Macklemore also expressed in his post. “Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.
“The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence.”
Tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them children, have been killed during Israeli military operations in Gaza during the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas inside Israel’s borders.
USA TODAY Sports has reached out to the NFL seeking comment regarding Macklemore’s statements about Kraft.
Macklemore, who characterized Sheeran as a “brother,” if one who does not take public political positions, said their 13-year relationship has been strained by recent events and that “our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.”
Sheeran has not commented on Macklemore’s removal from the Loop Tour.
Macklemore concluded his IG post by writing, “Free Palestine.
“But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”
What did Robert Kraft say about Macklemore?
The full statement from Kraft on Monday in response to Macklemore.
“Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech. Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line,” said Kraft.
“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. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally (including Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan) designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike. I agree with Macklemore. Too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate. Over many decades, I have directed resources to Palestine and created athletic and entrepreneurial opportunities for Palestinians who I admire and respect. Standing with the Palestinian people and standing against Hamas, antisemitism and hate should not be mutually exclusive.
“Much of my time and attention for the last decade has been focused on the fight against antisemitism and hate of all kinds, and I feel a responsibility to stand up when I believe that line has been crossed. I have tremendous respect for Ed and his music, particularly his unique ability to bring people together and spread joy, and I have always been proud to welcome him and his fans to Gillette Stadium.
“I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same – peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate.”
What did Macklemore say at MetLife Stadium?
“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 on Sept. 4 at MetLife Stadium as one of Sheeran’s opening acts.
“I want those words to be loud and clear so the people all the way in Gaza, to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten about them.”
The day after that show, the Israeli American Council shared an online petition that was addressed to Sheeran, 35, demanding he kick Macklemore off the tour.
Kraft, the Patriots and Judaism
Kraft’s religious background has become intertwined with the Patriots through the years. He has taken numerous players, former players and team staffers on trips to Israel, both to educate them on the region while also allowing them to serve as NFL and football ambassadors to the country.
“It was an unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime kind of deal, and something I enjoyed,” Super Bowl 53 MVP and former Patriots star Julian Edelman said in 2015. “It really put life in perspective, going there and seeing an unbelievable country and why it’s so special. It was kind of cool to have my official birthright trip with an unbelievable group of people that have already been to Israel to share that experience with me.”
More recently, Kraft, Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel and others in the organization have been regularly seen wearing Blue Square pins in support of the “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign and Blue Square Alliance, which combats antisemitism.
What NFL stadiums is Ed Sheeran’s tour playing next?
MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets and Giants, hosted the Loop Tour on Sept. 4, when Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian comments first garnered mass attention. Sheeran is scheduled to play eight more shows (two at Gillette) at seven more of the league’s stadiums before the year is out. Per Rolling Stone, all seven venues objected to Macklemore’s continued participation in the tour.
The remaining lineup at NFL facilities is as follows:
Sept. 19 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
Sept. 25/26 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Oct. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Oct. 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
Oct. 17 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte
Oct. 24 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Nov. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa
This is a developing story which will be updated
Contributing: KiMi Robinson
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