Sheeran, Kraft to donate $2M in “aid to the region”

• It is unclear where exactly this aid is going. 

Robert Kraft, the stadium owner behind pro-Palestinian rapper Macklemore's removal as Ed Sheeran's opening act, says Sheeran phoned him and asked him to put up for "aid in the region," matching a donation the singer had already made.

In a Wednesday statement, Kraft wrote: "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," he added.

Kraft stopped short of confirming he'd actually go ahead with the $2m pledge, or say where any such money would go,  and his statement marked the first mention anywhere of Sheeran having made a donation of that size. 

Sheeran himself has said nothing publicly about any donation or wider philanthropic plans.

Statement from Robert Kraft pic.twitter.com/as3f4RUKse

— Gillette Stadium (@GilletteStadium) September 16, 2026

Read more: Robert Kraft drives tour cancelation of Macklemore

His second statement in as many days

This was Kraft's second public statement in the space of a week over the row engulfing Sheeran's US tour. He'd already confirmed on Monday that he was the one who had Macklemore pulled from the bill at Gillette Stadium, his venue near Boston, citing what he called hate speech,  Macklemore had called for "Free Palestine" and displayed images from Gaza during an earlier show.

The fallout from that decision was immediate: several of Sheeran's other opening acts pulled out in solidarity with Macklemore.

For his part, Sheeran has said it was the tour promoters, not him, who made the call to axe Macklemore, and that he doesn't intend to wade into public debate over Gaza.

 In a statement released through Gillette Stadium, Kraft said he wanted supporters of the Palestinian cause to know he has long "supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians," pointing to work bringing "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," he said. "I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting."