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Jack Antonoff is sounding off on Ed Sheeran‘s handling of the controversy over Macklemore being kicked off his Loop Tour as an opening act for expressing support for Palestinians.
“[Ed] missed a massive, beautiful opportunity there: just cancel the whole f***ing tour, then play for free outside each venue, raise a bunch of money, rather than let a f***ing billionaire tell you what to do,” Antonoff, 42, suggested in a Guardian profile published on Sunday, October 25. “The reason it’s not an anomaly or niche issue is because we all live in a world where billionaires are constantly telling us what to do. So stand the f*** up!”
In September, Macklemore, 43, was controversially removed as a support act from Sheeran’s Loop Tour for shouting “Free Palestine” and playing his protest song “Hind’s Hall” during two shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Sheeran, 35, alleged that his tour partners made the decision to drop Macklemore after receiving pressure from Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft and others ahead of scheduled shows at major venues. (Sheeran’s two Gillette Stadium shows were ultimately cancelled due to weather concerns.)
Macklemore’s fellow Loop Tour support acts Finneas O’Connell, Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham all pulled out of the shows, as did Sheeran’s backing band Beoga. Sheeran ultimately resumed his tour with a brand new backing band on September 19 in Philadelphia, where he also addressed the controversy in person for the first time.
“I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky. A lot of you like my stuff, and to be honest, I’m surprised,” he told fans. “I’m not surprised that I’ve even done it. You know, it’s normal. This week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take [it in] and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so so sorry.”
The “Shape of You” singer said that he was carrying on with the Loop Tour so as not to “disappoint fans.”
“This has put me in the middle of an important, passionate argument about freedom of speech on the most complex issue on the planet,” Sheeran said of the Israel-Palestine conflict. “[My music] has always been a safe space for everyone. That matters hugely to me. Honoring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am. That is why I’m here tonight — on my own — continuing my own tour.”
Macklemore has since embarked on a Free Palestine Tour, explaining, “There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now.”
“It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore,” he added. “People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”
Antonoff — who, like Sheeran, is a close friend and collaborator of Taylor Swift — has frequently voiced his support for the Palestinian cause as a Jewish artist during Bleachers’ tours over the past few years.
Speaking to The Guardian, Antonoff insisted that his support for Palestine is not simply a moral or social choice; it also sends a message to record companies and promoters about censorship.
“[I’ve] felt way more emboldened to say it now, because it’s not in any way a strange, uncomfortable or controversial thing to say, it’s a deeply human thing to say,” he said. “If you think it is [controversial] you’re lost in some other sauce that is so crazy. They’re going to let some f**ing promoter tell me what I can say? Don’t book me. I’ll play for free outside.”
