Ed Sheeran Faces Intense Backlash Over Macklemore Tour Removal and Family Feud

Amelia Dimoldenberg mocked Ed Sheeran in her SNL UK monologue, joking that the red-haired singer was a puppet being told what to say, amid backlash over Macklemore’s removal from the remaining dates of Sheeran’s Loop Tour after pro-Palestinian remarks. Sheeran said the promoter made the decision and defended avoiding publicly taking sides; he later apologized onstage for mistakes amid the backlash. Several other opening acts withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore. Separately, Sheeran’s cousin Jethro, a musician who performs as Alonestar, accused him of abandoning their early musical partnership and called him a “snake” and a “coward.” In an interview, Piers Morgan accused Jethro of jealousy and joked about resentment over Sheeran’s red hair; Jethro denied being jealous and criticized Morgan.
Macklemore said Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, told Sheeran he would not allow the rapper to perform there; Kraft confirmed his position, saying he was focused on “the fight against antisemitism.”
Sheeran donated $2 million for global humanitarian aid. Onstage, he described the suffering in Gaza as “catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate.”
Jethro Sheeran alleged that he first brought Ed into the studio and onstage, and that Ed later left behind what they had built together; the two had worked together on the 2010 track “Raise ’Em Up.”
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