Ed Sheeran has lost almost half a million Instagram followers following the decision to drop his opening act, Macklemore, from the Loop tour after the rapper made pro-Palestine comments on stage.
Macklemore removal and promoter's decision
Macklemore claimed that the CEO of Kraft Group and owner of Gillette Stadium, Robert Kraft, personally called Sheeran to state Macklemore would not be allowed to perform at the venue. Sheeran later responded that he would not be drawn into a public debate about the Gaza war, noting it was "the promoter's decision" to remove the US rapper.
The clash continued as Sheeran's other opening acts withdrew and protesters gathered outside his first concert without Macklemore last week.
Follower decline and statement
According to Social Blade data via The Independent, Sheeran's Instagram account lost nearly 150,000 followers on September 15, the day he first commented on Macklemore's removal. An additional 150,000 accounts unfollowed him the next day, and 98,000 a day later. As of September 24, his follower count stands at 47.2 million - down half a million in one week.
Sheeran addressed the scandal during his September 19 show, reading a prepared statement: "I've had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes."
"I'm so, so sorry. I don't want to disappoint fans. I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore."
"What happened in Israel, and at the music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. "What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. "My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian loss and loss of children's lives.
"And the systemic injustice we're seeing unfolding in the West Bank cannot be overlooked."
Reactions and donations
Despite the statement, Sheeran's social media follower count has dropped significantly. Celebrities such as Sting noted that Sheeran faces "a difficult dilemma," while Charlotte Church publicly criticised the singer, stating he chose "consumerism and capitalism" over "doing the right thing."
Sheeran was also parodied on Saturday Night Live UK in a sketch depicting him as neutral during a fictional conflict between humans and AI robots.
Meanwhile, Macklemore announced he would donate $1 million (£755,100) in net earnings from his tour appearances to organisations aiding Palestinians, challenging Kraft to match it. Kraft acknowledged that Sheeran asked him to match Sheeran's own $2 million (£1,512,200) donation, stating they planned to "work together to build bridges."
Sheeran is next scheduled to perform on September 25 at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.
