Macklemore to Donate $1M to Palestine After Being Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour

US rapper Macklemore plans to donate his entire $1 million net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour to Palestinian charities, following his removal from the tour over public statements supporting Palestine, according to reporting by RTÉ and The Irish Times.

The controversy began on September 4, 2026, when Macklemore—whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty—told a crowd during a concert in New Jersey that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten, declaring, Free Palestine. Following his remarks, a petition was launched demanding his removal from the remaining tour dates, according to The Irish Times.

Tour Fallout and Support Act Withdrawals

In response to the rapper’s removal, all of the support acts slated for the North American leg of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour have withdrawn in solidarity, according to The Irish Times. The departing acts include Irish performers Aaron Rowe and Beoga, as well as Sheeran’s own touring band.

Macklemore announced on social media that he would distribute his $1 million in net earnings among six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people, noting that donating the money was one of the least costly forms of solidarity available to me. He also challenged Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots whose company owns Gillette Stadium where Sheeran is scheduled to perform on September 25 and 26, to match his donation, according to The Irish Times.

Responses From Promoters and Ed Sheeran

Kraft previously defended his position to drop Macklemore from the stadium dates, describing the rapper’s comments as hate speech and accusing him of a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric, according to The Irish Times. Responding to Macklemore’s donation challenge, Kraft stated that Ed Sheeran had contacted him earlier to ask for a $2 million commitment to aid the region and fight the humanitarian crisis, though Kraft did not specify which organizations would receive those funds.

Ed Sheeran addressed the tour crisis in a statement on September 15, 2026, clarifying that Macklemore’s departure was the promoter’s decision rather than his own, and noting that the rapper’s contract was held with the promoter. While Sheeran stated he was appalled by the conflict and that the suffering on both sides is a human tragedy, he defended his choice to remain politically neutral, writing, I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. According to The Irish Times, Sheeran lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers in the 24 hours following his statement.