What the Hell Happened with Ed Sheeran?

Jennifer Maurer·September 20, 2026

Ed Sheeran had a very bad week.

Not album-sales bad.

Not bad-review bad.

Not even celebrity-scandal bad.

More like: one of the biggest pop stars in the world suddenly found himself standing onstage trying to explain how the heck everything had gone sideways.

Because somehow Ed Sheeran—the guitar-playing, love-song-writing, decidedly non-confrontational pop superstar—has found himself in the middle of a political sh*tstorm.

And the irony of how he got there is almost impossible to miss.

Sheeran has never exactly built his career on controversy. For years, he's largely stayed out of political commentary.

Then Macklemore walked onto one of his stages.

And everything spiraled.

So What Happened?

Earlier this month, Macklemore was opening for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey when he used part of his set to speak in support of Palestinians.

Before performing his protest song Hind's Hall, Macklemore told the crowd that one of the reasons he'd wanted to join the tour was the opportunity to stand in stadiums and say “Free Palestine.”

The reaction didn't end when the concert did.

According to Sheeran and tour promoter Messina Touring Group, venues scheduled to host upcoming shows said they would pull the concerts if Macklemore remained on the bill. Macklemore has said Sheeran told him that Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft opposed his appearance and had encouraged other stadium owners to do the same. Kraft has not confirmed that account.

Eventually, Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates.

Sheeran said the decision wasn't his.

The promoter said venues were threatening to cancel shows.

Macklemore stood by what he'd said.

And then the whole thing really went south.

Everybody Started Leaving

Aaron Rowe withdrew.

Lukas Graham withdrew.

Finneas withdrew from his scheduled South American dates.

And Beoga—the Irish band that has worked with Sheeran for years and had been performing during his shows—withdrew too.

Their statements weren't identical, but they shared a central objection: they opposed Macklemore being removed after speaking about Palestinians and Gaza.

Which left Ed Sheeran in an extraordinary position.

Macklemore made a political statement.

Venues objected.

The promoter removed Macklemore.

Ed tried to explain that it wasn't his decision.

Other artists decided that explanation wasn't sufficient and left.

For a man who had been trying to keep politics out of his concerts, politics had now swallowed the tour whole.

And Then There Was Ed

Saturday night in Philadelphia, Sheeran played his first concert since the whole thing exploded.

He walked onto the stage alone.

No opening act.

And before playing a song, he talked.

Sheeran tearfully acknowledged that he'd made mistakes handling the situation and apologized. He explained that he'd spent his career trying not to become a political commentator because he wanted his shows to be about bringing people together rather than dividing them.

But something had clearly changed.

“I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore,” he told the crowd.

He condemned the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in Israel as horrific. He described what is happening in Gaza as catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate. He spoke about the West Bank. And he raised concerns about venues having the power to influence what performers can say onstage.

Think about that for a second.

A week earlier, Sheeran was explaining why he didn't want his concerts to become political platforms.

Now he was standing on one of those stages talking about Gaza, Israel, the West Bank, freedom of expression and the power venues have over artists.

The man who didn't want the political hot potato was now juggling it under a stadium spotlight.

There Was No Neutral Corner Left

And maybe that's the most interesting part of this entire mess.

You don't have to agree with Macklemore.

You don't have to agree with Sheeran.

You don't have to agree with the artists who walked away.

There are questions here about artistic expression, contractual obligations, venue control, audience expectations and whether a concert should—or even can—remain separate from the world outside it.

But once the chain reaction started, Sheeran discovered something uncomfortable.

There wasn't really an apolitical option left.

Say something and it becomes political.

Say nothing and people interpret the silence.

Keep Macklemore and venues threaten to pull shows.

Remove him and other artists walk.

Cancel the concerts and fans lose the shows.

Continue the tour and explain yourself.