Ed Sheeran loses more than 200,000 instagram followers amid Macklemore row

• This comes after multiple supporting acts dropped out of the Sheeran tour.

Ed Sheeran is facing a wave of online backlash after rapper Macklemore was removed from his US tour following the artist’s public support for Palestine, with Sheeran’s Instagram following falling by about 200,000 in 24 hours.

The dispute began after Macklemore made pro-Palestinian comments during his Sep. 4 performance at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, telling the audience he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. 

He also said he wanted to use his platform to say “Free Palestine” and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall.”

Macklemore was subsequently removed from the remaining US dates of Sheeran’s Loop Tour. Tour promoter Messina Touring Group said venues on the upcoming dates had informed promoters that they would not allow concerts to go ahead with Macklemore on the lineup.

Macklemore said he and Sheeran had held difficult conversations over the decision. He also alleged that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, played a role in efforts to remove him from the tour. Kraft has defended his position by citing concerns over Macklemore’s remarks and what he described as antisemitic content.

Sheeran addressed the controversy on Instagram, saying the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the tour promoter and venue owners rather than by him. He said he had spent days speaking with promoters, venues and others in an effort to find a solution.

Sheeran said he was “appalled” by the conflict between Israel and Palestine and described the suffering caused by the conflict as a human tragedy. He also said he had chosen not to publicly take a political position because he wanted his concerts to remain spaces that bring people together.

The dispute has since spread beyond social media. Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Irish group Beoga have all withdrawn from upcoming dates connected to the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.

The reported 200,000-follower decline adds to the growing online reaction surrounding the controversy. The figure reflects a change in Sheeran’s Instagram following but does not establish why individual users unfollowed him.

The tour is scheduled to resume in Philadelphia on Sep. 19.

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