Ed Sheeran performs in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 29, 2023.
Erica Goldring | Getty Images
Billionaire Robert Kraft said Ed Sheeran asked him to pledge $2 million in aid after musician Macklemore was removed from Sheeran’s tour after he made pro-Palestinian comments from the stage.
Mr. Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots NFL football team, said in a statement Thursday that Mr. Sheeran called him before Mr. Macklemore publicly requested that Mr. Macklemore match his $1 million donation to a Palestinian relief organization.
“Ed called me and asked me to match the donation and pledge $2 million to help local communities fight this humanitarian crisis,” Craft said.
Sheeran also plans to reach out to other venue owners to encourage additional donations, according to a statement from Kraft.
The exchange follows controversy over Sheeran’s participation on his U.S. tour after Macklemore made pro-Palestinian comments during a performance at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month. Macklemore was subsequently removed from Sheeran’s remaining U.S. tour dates.
Macklemore said in an Instagram post earlier this week that he was told by Kraft that Sheeran would not be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium, which is owned by the Kraft Group. He also said that Sheeran told him that Kraft rallied other stadium owners and they collectively gave Sheeran an ultimatum that Macklemore had to leave the tour or Sheeran would not be allowed to perform at their venue.
Addressing criticism of his comments, Macklemore said that while “anti-Semitism is real,” criticism of Israel and calls for “liberating Palestine” should not be confused with hatred of Jews.
All four of Sheeran’s other support acts, Finneas, Aaron Lowe, Irish band Beoga and Danish band Lukas Graham, also announced their withdrawal from the tour on Instagram.
“When artists speak up for the oppressed, they must not be silenced,” Phineas wrote.
Sheeran’s Worldwide Loop Tour begins in New Zealand and Australia in January, with North American dates scheduled to begin in June and run until November 7th.
—CNBC’s Dan Mangan and Jack Somers contributed to this article.
