Macklemore to Donate 1 million Dollar Ed Sheeran Tour

Macklemore to Donate 1 million Dollar Ed Sheeran Tour

acklemore says he will donate the entire 1 million dollars in net earnings he received from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to organisations supporting Palestinians, days after he was removed from the tour following his public comments in support of Palestine.

The rapper announced the donation on Wednesday, September 16, saying the money would go to six organisations working on humanitarian and relief efforts. He also challenged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium, to match the donation.

“With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs,” Macklemore wrote in a statement shared on social media. He said his focus was on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and announced that he would donate his “entire 1 million dollars” in net earnings from the tour.

Which organisations will receive Macklemore’s 1 million dollars?

Macklemore said the donation will be split between six organisations: the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency USA National Committee and Anera.

Ed Sheeran’s tour of North and South America has been roiled by the decision this week to drop Macklemore as an opener because of the rapper’s onstage pro-Palestinian comments. Since then, all of Sheeran’s other supporting acts have dropped out, including a group that plays with Sheeran during part of the show.

Sheeran, who is scheduled to perform Saturday in Philadelphia, said the decision to cut Macklemore from the Loop Tour was the promoter’s, not his own. The “Thrift Shop” rapper exclaimed “Free Palestine” during the Sept. 5 date in New Jersey.

“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you,” he said during the New Jersey concert. “This message is for peace, love, for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.”

He said the decision was intended to shift attention back to Palestinians affected by the ongoing conflict and to organisations providing assistance on the ground.

“I will be donating the entire 1 million dollars of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organisations working directly to support the Palestinian people,” Macklemore wrote.The donation comes after Macklemore was dropped from the remaining US dates of Sheeran’s Loop Tour earlier this week.The decision followed Macklemore’s appearance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month, where he spoke in support of Palestinians, said “Free Palestine”

Kraft, who is Jewish, confirmed on Monday that he had made the decision to bar Macklemore from the Gillette Stadium because his venue would not "provide a platform for hate speech".The tycoon accused the Grammy-winning rapper of having "a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric", which Macklemore denies.

He also said the pro-Palestinian artist was "only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas".

All the other support acts from Sheeran's US tour have since quit in solidarity with Macklemore.They are Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham, as well as Irish folk band Beoga, who perform with Sheeran on stage every night.The artists argued that Macklemore's removal represented a chilling effect on free speech.

Macklemore said on Wednesday he would donate the entire $1m of his net earnings from Sheeran's Loop Tour to six Palestinian organisations "to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people".

"This is a manmade injustice, and I believe it requires immediate political change," he wrote on social media.Several venues subsequently said they would not allow Macklemore to perform as part of the tour. The promoter, Messina Touring Group, confirmed that venues had raised concerns about having him on the bill.Sheeran later said the decision was not his. The singer said he had spoken to venue owners and tried to find a way to keep Macklemore on the tour but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Kraft separately defended Macklemore’s exclusion from Gillette Stadium, citing what he described as the rapper’s recent actions and a broader history of rhetoric and imagery he said had been offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.

In his latest statement, Macklemore acknowledged that donating the money was relatively easy compared with the risks faced by people directly affected by the conflict.

“I want to center the parents carrying their children into hospitals without the basic resources to treat them, and the physicians, paramedics, journalists and aid workers who keep going back in,” he wrote.

He also said he wanted to highlight activists and organisers who have faced consequences for supporting Palestine.

Macklemore described the donation as “one of the least costly forms of solidarity available” to him, adding that he was making it because he could and because the organisations receiving the money were continuing their work.

He also argued that humanitarian aid alone cannot resolve the political circumstances that create the need for it, while reiterating his support for Palestinian freedom.

Ed Sheeran’s other opening acts also leave tour

Macklemore’s departure has had a wider impact on Sheeran’s tour. Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and Beoga, who were among the tour’s supporting acts, have all announced their departures following the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal.

The developments have left the Loop Tour facing a significant reshuffle as its remaining dates continue. He ended his statement by urging people not to let the issue disappear once media attention moves elsewhere. “I will continue to stand with the Palestinian people and their fight for liberation,” Macklemore wrote.

Macklemore is donating the $1 million he has earned from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour to organisations supporting Palestinians.

Days after being dropped as an opening act over comments he made in support of Palestine, the American rapper said his entire net earnings from the tour would go to six organisations: Palestine Children's Relief Fund, Heal Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UNRWA USA National Committee and Anera.

Kraft later announced that he and Sheeran would each pledge $2 million towards humanitarian aid in the region, although Kraft did not specify which organisations would receive the money.

Kraft said Sheeran had contacted him before Macklemore issued his challenge and had asked him to commit $2 million. "Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges," Kraft said.Between them, they have now pledged a combined $5 million amid a controversy that has engulfed the US leg of Sheeran's tour.Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates of the Loop tour earlier this week after speaking in support of Palestine during two shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

During one appearance, he called for a "free Palestine" and told people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank that "we have not forgotten about them".

His comments prompted the Israeli-American Council to launch a petition calling for his removal.

Kraft subsequently confirmed that Macklemore would not be permitted to perform at Gillette Stadium, accusing him of a "broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery". Macklemore has denied accusations of antisemitism.

Sheeran said on Tuesday that he had not personally removed Macklemore from the tour. He said several venue owners had objected to the rapper performing at their stadiums and that promoters ultimately made the decision.

The dispute widened when Sheeran's remaining opening acts – Finneas, Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham – withdrew from their scheduled appearances in solidarity with Macklemore and Palestine. Irish folk group Beoga also withdrew from their role as Sheeran's backing band.

In his post on Wednesday, Macklemore said he wanted the focus to remain on Palestinians affected by the war, including families as well as doctors, paramedics, journalists and aid workers. "Their risk is of a far different order than mine," he wrote.

He said he would continue speaking in support of Palestinians after attention surrounding the tour controversy subsides. "When the news cycle moves on, which it will, don't move with it," he wrote. "Free Palestine."

The musical world was shaken as Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour hit a dramatic note. Macklemore, known for advocating Palestinian rights, was axed from the lineup, allegedly due to pressure from promoters and venue owners. His remarks criticizing Israeli actions prompted the move.

While Sheeran distanced himself from the decision, asserting it was not his choice, his stance did not prevent a chain reaction. Several artists, including his opening acts like Finneas and the band Lukas Graham, withdrew from the tour in support of Macklemore.

The situation highlighted the longstanding tension in the entertainment industry when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Figures such as Greta Thunberg and Colin Kaepernick voiced solidarity with Macklemore, while others, like Pink, expressed concerns over potential safety risks and previous controversial actions by the rapper.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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Robert Kraft, the US stadium owner who had pro-Palestinian rapper Macklemore removed as Ed Sheeran's opening act at his venue, says Sheeran has asked him to donate $2m (£1.5m) to "aid in the region".

The request came after Macklemore said he would donate $1m (£750,000) to Palestinian organisations, challenging Kraft to match the sum.

Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, announced the requested pledge in his second statement this week on the controversy, without specifying where exactly the funds would go.

On Monday, he confirmed he had Macklemore dropped as the opening act from Sheeran's forthcoming performance at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, accusing the rapper of hate speech.

Facing a backlash, Sheeran has said the decision to drop Macklemore from his Loop Tour was made by promoters and that he would not be drawn into a public debate over Gaza.

​​​​​​​In a statement, Kraft, 85, said: "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."Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges."

In the statement, which was issued by Gillette Stadium on Kraft's behalf, he said he would like those speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that he has long "supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians".

He also said that he has worked to bring "young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships".

"I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people," Kraft said. "I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting."The owner of the Kraft Group, a sports and event management company, did not say whether he had rallied other stadium owners to ban Macklemore from their venues, as the rapper claims.Macklemore - real name Benjamin Haggerty - called for a "free Palestine" and showed images of devastation in Gaza during two Sheeran concerts in New Jersey earlier this month.He was dropped on Monday from Sheeran's line-up, just days before the tour was set to resume in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.Sheeran, who performed at Kraft's 2022 wedding, said on Tuesday he was not responsible for Macklemore being removed as an opening act from the tour.

“Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting,” Macklemore wrote.Kraft said in an Instagram post shortly afterward that Sheeran contacted him before Macklemore put out his statement to ask for a $2 million match to aid “in the region.”“Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges,” Kraft wrote.

A spokesperson confirmed that the billionaire will be donating the matching funds. His post didn’t specify the benefactors of the donation and the spokesperson did not identify the recipients.

Here’s where things stand with Sheeran’s tour.

Macklemore has said his removal was the result of an effort led by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots. His Kraft Group also owns Gillette Stadium, where the NFL team plays and where Sheeran is scheduled to perform later this month. Kraft’s involvement was implicitly cited in some of the statements from the supporting acts who left Sheeran’s tour Tuesday, decrying the influence of money.

On Wednesday, Macklemore announced he would donate $1 million from his net earnings from the tour to six organizations helping Palestinians, including the U.N.

The Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe were scheduled to replace Macklemore as the opening acts on Sheeran’s remaining U.S. tour dates. Finneas, the American singer and close collaborator with sister Billie Eilish, was down to open for Sheeran on four of his South American dates. Beoga, an Irish folk band, had been performing with Sheeran for part of his set since his tour began in January in New Zealand.

“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote.

The announcements from each supporting act came roughly within an hour of each other Tuesday. Earlier that day, Sheeran posted his own statement blaming the promoter for Macklemore’s removal and maintaining that he refused to be drawn into a public discussion about the war in Gaza.

Rowe and Beoga cited their country’s history to explain their decision. “We are 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 posted.

Rowe called Sheeran a friend. “But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” he wrote, adding that he couldn’t “stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up.”

Posted on 2026/09/17 10:36 AM