Kraft Says Sheeran Asked Him for $2 Million Palestinian Aid Pledge as Macklemore Tour Fallout Widens
Robert Kraft said Ed Sheeran had asked him to commit $2 million to humanitarian aid in the region, a disclosure that came hours after Macklemore pledged to donate the entire $1 million in net earnings from his stint on Sheeran’s Loop Tour to Palestinian relief groups and challenged Kraft to match it.
The exchange marked the latest escalation in a rapidly widening controversy over Macklemore’s removal from the tour, a decision that has prompted a wave of supporting acts to exit or pull out of portions of the tour, sent resale ticket prices tumbling and thrust questions about political speech, venue power and the Gaza war into the center of a major stadium tour.
Macklemore, the Grammy-winning rapper, said Wednesday he would give the money to six organizations working directly to support Palestinians. He also called on Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, to make a matching donation. “Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram.
He added: “Writing a check is one of the least costly forms of solidarity available to me. I am doing it because I can, and because these organizations are doing the work while much of the world debates it.”
Within hours, Kraft issued a statement saying Sheeran had called him earlier that day, before Macklemore’s challenge, and asked him to commit $2 million to match Sheeran’s donation to aid in the region. “I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting,” Kraft said. He added that Sheeran planned to reach out to other venue owners, with the goal of working together to build bridges.
Kraft also said he wanted supporters of Palestinians to know that he has for decades backed efforts to create opportunity for Palestinians and bring young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs and forge relationships.
The dispute traces back to earlier this month, when Macklemore opened for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. During that performance, he made pro-Palestinian comments and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” named after Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli troops in Gaza. Israel’s military acknowledged in August that its troops had opened fire on the car carrying Hind and her family and said it had opened a criminal investigation into the killing.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine,’” Macklemore said onstage earlier this month.
His remarks drew criticism from pro-Israel groups, including the Israeli-American Council, which launched a petition to have him removed from the tour. Macklemore had been scheduled to perform at eight of Sheeran’s 10 remaining Loop Tour shows. Philadelphia was the next stop, followed by Gillette Stadium on Sept. 25 and 26.
In a lengthy social media post Monday, Macklemore said Sheeran and his team had decided to remove him. He described difficult conversations with Sheeran, whom he called “a brother.” According to Macklemore, Sheeran told him that Kraft did not want him performing at Gillette over his pro-Palestinian comments, and that Kraft had appealed to other stadium owners to issue an ultimatum: “If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Macklemore acknowledged that Sheeran had been placed in a difficult position. The promoter, Messina Touring Group, confirmed to Rolling Stone that Macklemore would not perform the remaining support dates because multiple venues would not allow concerts to proceed with the rapper on the lineup.
Kraft said Gillette Stadium is responsible for providing a welcoming environment for all guests. “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,” he said.
Kraft added: “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.”
As the controversy grew, Sheeran remained publicly silent until Sept. 15, when he released a statement on social media. “I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy,” he wrote. “There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated.”
Sheeran said he preferred to remain publicly neutral on political issues and insisted that Macklemore’s removal was not his call. “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,” he wrote. He added that he would not let down fans who had made plans or abandon the touring crew and other support acts and musicians who rely on him for work and to make a living.
The fallout continued as Sheeran’s own backing band, Beoga, announced on social media that it would leave the Loop Tour in light of Macklemore’s dismissal. The band, which had been performing several songs around the middle of each set, said it believed in dialogue as a means of advancing the Palestinian people’s cause and described itself as Irish people who understand colonialism. “As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be,” Beoga said.
Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe said in an Instagram post that he had dropped out as an opener. “I don’t take the decision lightly. Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this,” he wrote. “But as Irish people, we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. 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.”
Danish pop band Lukas Graham also announced Tuesday that it was withdrawing as a supporting act. Singer-songwriter Finneas said on Instagram that he was pulling out of the South American portion of the tour. “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he wrote. “I have decided to withdraw my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
The withdrawals have had immediate commercial consequences. Resale prices for the remaining Loop Tour dates fell sharply. TickPick data cited by Forbes showed the cheapest ticket for Saturday’s Philadelphia show at $51 on Friday morning, down from $100 on Tuesday. By Friday afternoon, StubHub listings had dropped as low as $42.
Sheeran is scheduled to take the stage Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the first Loop Tour show since Macklemore’s removal. Ticketmaster said the concert was pushed back from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET after the openers dropped out. Music industry sources told TMZ that Sheeran was prepared to perform solo, without his backing band.
A coalition of pro-Palestinian groups planned to rally outside the stadium at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Organizers said speakers would include representatives from Writers Against the War on Gaza, the Boycott Cooknsolo Coalition and Shut Down Day & Zimmermann. Sheeran had not commented publicly since Tuesday.
The episode has become a case study in how the Gaza conflict is reshaping live entertainment, forcing artists, promoters and venue owners to weigh political speech against commercial and reputational concerns. For Sheeran, one of the world’s biggest touring acts, the challenge is keeping a stadium tour on track while avoiding a public fight over a polarizing war. For Macklemore, the dispute has turned a support slot into a platform—and a financial pledge—that has drawn attention far beyond the concerts themselves.