Key Highlights
- All four opening acts for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour — Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Beoga, and Lukas Graham — withdrew in solidarity with Macklemore after he was removed from the tour for pro-Palestine remarks.
- Hannah Einbinder, Jewish-American actress and Hacks star, condemned Sheeran’s “apolitical” stance, sharing his estimated $400 million net worth and posting a satirical jab about sunburn alongside a revolutionary poem titled “Apolitical Intellectuals.”
- Sheeran lost nearly 100,000 Instagram followers after stating he uses his platform as “a place of safety and sanctuary” rather than a political forum, while Macklemore argued “there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.”
Tour Support Acts Exit en Masse Over Palestine Solidarity
The fallout from Ed Sheeran’s decision to distance his tour from political expression intensified rapidly this week as all four scheduled opening acts for his North American Loop Tour announced their withdrawal within hours of one another. Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe declared he would “lose all respect for [himself] if [he] carried on as normal,” while Finneas O’Connell — brother of Billie Eilish and a Grammy-winning producer in his own right — stated plainly that he “stands with Palestine and its people.” Sheeran’s longtime backing band Beoga, the Irish folk ensemble that has toured with him since 2017, followed suit, as did Danish pop group Lukas Graham, best known for the global hit “7 Years.” The coordinated exits represent an unprecedented rupture in a major stadium tour’s support lineup and underscore the growing expectation among artists that silence on Gaza constitutes complicity.
Sheeran’s Statement Draws Fire From Peers and Public Figures
The cascade began after Macklemore, whose legal name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, revealed that U.S. stadium owners — including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft — had barred him from performing on Sheeran’s bill due to his onstage comments about the devastation in Gaza. In a lengthy social media post, Macklemore wrote of Sheeran: “He couldn’t get past his public facing: I don’t take sides. And I get why people don’t. Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things. But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed. When one side has the bombs and bottomless financial and military support from America, refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle.” Sheeran responded Tuesday to his 48 million Instagram followers, acknowledging he holds “personal views on this devastating conflict” but chooses not to express them publicly. “My audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds,” he wrote. “Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.”
Einbinder Frames Silence as Moral Failure, Invokes Jewish Obligation
Hannah Einbinder, 31, entered the fray Tuesday night with a series of Instagram stories that combined personal testimony, political argument, and pointed satire. The Hacks star and Golden Globe nominee, who is Jewish-American, has made Palestine advocacy central to her public persona. At the 2024 Emmy Awards, upon winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, she concluded her acceptance speech with: “Go birds, f**k ICE and free Palestine!” Backstage, she elaborated: “It is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel. Our religion and our culture is such an important and long-standing institution that is really separate to this sort of ethnonationalist state.” At the Cannes Film Festival in May, asked whether she feared Hollywood blacklisting, she replied: “The cost of not speaking is higher. There is a greater toll in not speaking and you’ve just got to have your priorities straight. I am under no impression that my small career could ever measure up in comparison to even one human life. It’s an obligation and I will always do it.”
Children’s Entertainer Ms. Rachel Joins Criticism; Sheeran Loses Followers
The condemnation extended beyond the music world. Popular children’s YouTuber Ms. Rachel, whose channel commands millions of preschool viewers and their parents, posted: “It’s not wrong to say Palestinian people should be able to be free, and Palestinian kids should be able to grow up. It’s wrong to be silent during a genocide.” Einbinder amplified the critique by sharing a screenshot of Sheeran’s estimated $400 million net worth alongside a personal barb: “Ed Sheeran, I say this as a ginger. I hope you get a REALLY bad sun burn the kind on the back of your entire body where it hurts to lie down or walk or sit.” She also posted the full text of “Apolitical Intellectuals,” a poem by Guatemalan revolutionary and poet Otto René Castillo, which excoriates those who claim neutrality amid injustice. By Wednesday morning, Sheeran’s Instagram follower count had dropped by nearly 100,000, a tangible metric of the reputational cost his statement incurred.
Why This Matters
The episode marks a significant escalation in the cultural pressure on high-profile entertainers to take public positions on the Israel-Gaza war. For years, major artists have largely avoided the topic, citing complexity or a desire to avoid alienating audiences. Sheeran’s articulation of a deliberate “apolitical” stance — framed as protecting a “safe space” for children — represents a clear, intentional choice that his peers have now publicly rejected. The mass withdrawal of opening acts, many of whom stand to lose significant income and exposure, signals a shift in industry norms: solidarity with Palestine is increasingly treated as a baseline moral obligation rather than a risky political stance. Meanwhile, Einbinder’s invocation of Jewish identity to oppose Israeli state actions complicates the narrative that criticism of Israel is inherently antisemitic, a dynamic that has silenced many in entertainment. The financial hit to Sheeran’s social metrics, while modest relative to his total reach, suggests audience expectations are hardening. With the Loop Tour set to resume, the question remains whether Sheeran will address the vacancies — or perform without openers, a stark visual testament to the controversy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which artists have dropped out of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour?
As of September 17, four acts have withdrawn: Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, producer and artist Finneas O’Connell (brother of Billie Eilish), Irish folk ensemble Beoga (Sheeran’s longtime backing band), and Danish pop group Lukas Graham.
What did Ed Sheeran say in his statement about politics and the tour?
Sheeran wrote on Instagram: “My audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.”
Why did Hannah Einbinder criticize Ed Sheeran specifically?
Einbinder, a Jewish-American actress, argued that silence during what she and others describe as a genocide in Gaza is morally unacceptable. She framed speaking out as a Jewish obligation to distinguish Judaism from the actions of the Israeli state, shared a poem titled “Apolitical Intellectuals” by Otto René Castillo, and mocked Sheeran’s $400 million net worth with a personal jab about sunburn.
