Jack Antonoff Knocks Ed Sheeran for Caving to Billionaire’s Demand to Drop Macklemore

Jack Antonoff has criticized Ed Sheeran for his response to Macklemore being removed from the Loop Tour. According to TheWrap, Antonoff stated that Sheeran's actions made it appear as though he was siding with billionaires and promoters. The controversy began in early September when Macklemore shouted "Free Palestine" during an opening performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, rapping in front of footage depicting Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

This performance led to a petition from the Israeli-American Council and the eventual removal of Macklemore from the tour.

In an interview with The Guardian, Antonoff argued that Sheeran missed a "beautiful opportunity" to make a larger statement by canceling the tour entirely. Rolling Stone reported that the Bleachers frontman suggested Sheeran should have canceled the tour instead of bowing to a pressure campaign regarding Macklemore's comments. Antonoff told TheWrap that rather than letting a billionaire dictate terms, the musician could have canceled the tour and played for free outside venues to raise money.

Brief written by urgent.news from Rolling Stone, TheWrap, Billboard — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.