Ed Sheeran Tour Drama Turns Into Donations and Humanitarian Appeals
After a week of conflict over the Ed Sheeran tour, the dispute between Macklemore and Robert Kraft is shifting from stadium politics to charitable pledges and appeals for humanitarian cooperation.
Macklemore said Wednesday that he would donate $1 million—his full net earnings from his now-shortened stint as an opening act on Sheeran’s tour—to six organizations that support Palestinian people. He also invited Kraft, the New England Patriots owner whose stadium company helped remove him from the tour, to make a similar commitment.
“Whatever we disagree about,” Macklemore wrote, “perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth supporting.”
Kraft answered with a statement that did not directly announce a new donation but emphasized a long-standing commitment to bringing people together. “I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,” he said. “I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.”
The exchange followed a public clash earlier in the week. Kraft, through his stadium ownership role, helped push Macklemore off the Sheeran tour, accusing the rapper of having a “history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” and saying he was distressed by unspecified “material shared from the stage.” Macklemore had used tour appearances to deliver speeches in support of Palestine. After his removal, Sheeran’s other opening acts resigned as well, deepening the turmoil around the tour.
Kraft said he had also heard from Sheeran, who asked him to commit $2 million “to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.” In his statement, Kraft pointed to decades of work he said had “supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships.” He did not say he was making an additional donation at this time, but said that with Sheeran and other stadium owners, “our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”
Macklemore, for his part, framed the donation as a moral obligation rather than a resolution to the larger fight. “Writing a check is one of the least costly forms of solidarity available to me,” he wrote.
Other celebrities soon joined the fundraising push. On Thursday, YouTube star and children’s educator Rachel Accurso, widely known as “Ms. Rachel,” said she would match Macklemore’s donation to support Palestinians and urged other public figures to do the same. “I invite every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza,” she wrote, adding that “we have a moral obligation to use our privilege and platforms to protect children and human rights.” Macklemore responded with thanks. Accurso said her donation would go to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
The episode underscores how quickly a booking dispute can become a broader referendum on celebrity activism, venue power and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. While the pledges may provide tangible aid, they are unlikely to settle the underlying tensions that led to Macklemore’s removal. They do, however, keep pressure on high-profile figures to take public positions and back them with money.
The Ed Sheeran tour continues this weekend in Philadelphia, with tickets available.
This story has been updated with additional information.