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Jack Antonoff Knocks Ed Sheeran for Caving to Billionaire’s Demand to Drop Macklemore
Confirmed
In Short: Musician Jack Antonoff criticized Ed Sheeran for removing rapper Macklemore from his tour over political comments, suggesting Sheeran should have canceled the entire tour.
Antonoff, who is Jewish, told Rolling Stone that Sheeran should have played for free outside the venues rather than give in to pressure from billionaire Robert Kraft.
"Just cancel the whole fucking tour, then play for free outside each venue, raise a bunch of money, rather than let a fucking billionaire tell you what to do," Antonoff said.
Macklemore was removed from Sheeran's tour after making pro-Palestinian statements during performances at MetLife Stadium.
"The reason it’s not an anomaly or niche issue is because we all live in a world where billionaires are constantly telling us what to do," Antonoff added.
"The idea that if you’re rich, any ticket you want is yours at any time and if you’re not, you have to go through this demoralizing online experience where you get whacked and kicked and fucked around," Antonoff said.
Sheeran's tour has faced other setbacks, with some shows canceled due to bad weather, and ticket prices falling by more than 10 percent.
"Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis," Macklemore said.
Macklemore announced a new tour, the Free Palestine Tour, with proceeds going toward charities supporting the Palestinian people.
"When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention," Macklemore said.
Sheeran personally asked Kraft to pledge $2 million towards Palestinian relief efforts, according to a statement released by the businessman.
"With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom," Macklemore wrote on Instagram.
Antonoff's comments highlight the tension between artistic freedom and commercial pressures in the music industry.
What's confirmed
- Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.
What's still developing
- Antonoff, who is Jewish, has also faced criticism for expressing solidarity with Palestinians and saying “Free Palestine” onstage.
- Sheeran “missed a massive, beautiful opportunity there,” Antonoff told The Guardian in a new interview.
- According to the Seattle rapper, Kraft asked the promoter for Sheeran’s tour to disallow the “Thrift Shop” star from appearing on upcoming dates of the stadium tour.
- Ed Sheeran’s tour of the United States has been dealt another setback, with shows scheduled to take place in the stadium owned by pro-Israel billionaire Robert Kraft cancelled due to bad weather.
- Newsweek reported that ticket prices for Sheeran’s concerts have fallen by more than 10 percent in recent days, citing TicketData.
- The rapper, who was dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour earlier this month after stirring controversy with his politically charged performances, announced Thursday that he's going on a new tour he's calling the "Free Palestine Tour."
- One person wrote on social media, "So f---in performative, let's see these 'brave' artists actually go to the countries they're so supportive of."
- "I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind, because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore."
- The announcement came during a difficult week for Ed, whose tour lost several supporting musicians following Macklemore's departure.
- Gillette Stadium's X account shared a statement from Kraft in which he said he had dedicated his life to “building bridges” between people.
- American businessman Robert Kraft made a claim about singer Ed Sheeran on Wednesday, September 16.
- He was slated to open for the remaining eight of Sheeran's 10 U.S.