Jack Antonoff Slams Ed Sheeran Over Macklemore Controversy, Says He Should Have Canceled Tour: ‘Get Up’

Key Points

• Jack Antonoff criticized Ed Sheeran for continuing his tour after Macklemore pulled out.

• The Bleachers frontman said Sheeran should have chosen to “cancel the whole fucking tour and then play outside of every venue for free” to “raise a lot of money.”

• Antonoff told Sheeran to “stand up” and said saying “free Palestine” is “in no way a strange, uncomfortable or controversial thing.”

Jack Antonoff doesn’t think Ed Sheeran handled his recent controversy well.

The Bleachers frontman criticized the “Shape of You” singer for continuing his Loop tour after Macklemore was removed from the lineup due to objections to his pro-Palestinian comments on stage.

Although he has expressed solidarity with Palestine for years, Antonoff said he “felt much more emboldened to say ‘Free Palestine’ in public and on stage since the Macklemore debacle. “This is in no way a strange or uncomfortable or controversial thing to say, it’s a deeply human thing to say,” he said. The Guardian. “If you think it’s (controversial), you’re lost in another sauce that’s so crazy.”

Antonoff condemned Sheeran, who blamed Macklemore’s withdrawal from the tour on a promoter who objected to the rapper’s comments.

“They’re going to let a fucking promoter tell me what can I say? Don’t book me. I’ll play away for free,” he said. “(Ed Sheeran) missed a huge, great opportunity there: just cancel the whole damn tour, then play for free outside every venue, raise a lot of money, rather than let a fucking billionaire tell you what to do.”

He added: “The reason this isn’t an anomaly or a niche problem is because we all live in a world where billionaires are constantly telling us what to do. So stand up.”

Weekly Entertainment has contacted Sheeran’s reps for comment.

Macklemore made comments in support of Palestinian liberation and criticized Israel on stage during the opening act of Sheeran’s show in New Jersey on September 5. A week later, Messina Touring Group, the promoter of the US leg of the Loop tour, said rolling stone that “we were informed by venues of upcoming US tour dates that they would not allow a concert with Macklemore in the lineup”, resulting in Macklemore’s withdrawal.

“To all my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, that is in no way a criticism of you,” Macklemore said on the show. “This message is for peace, love, for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.”

Shortly after Macklemore’s departure, all remaining musicians attached to the tour dropped out in solidarity, including opening acts Finneas, Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham, as well as Sheeran’s backing band Beoga.

Sheeran released a statement refusing to take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and cried on stage at his first concert after Macklemore’s impeachment, saying, “I’ve had to make and make some tough decisions, and I make mistakes, and I’m truly sorry.”

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Macklemore has launched a three-concert “Free Palestine” tour of Europe, with all proceeds going to organizations supporting the Palestinian people.

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