I have little to add that hasn't been said except this is really disappointing from Ed, as I have always been a huge fan. This empty and meaningless statement. You can't be a megastar in 2026 and be apolitical, you have a major platform and people look up to you and are inspired and influenced by you.

He is known to be a businessman and protects his assets, but to this extent? Not just hugely disappointing but potentially career suicide, and I can't see how he didn't see the backlash coming. I get that he was thinking more about all the people directly employed by his tours etc, and I understand he feels a responsibility to them, but there is a bigger picture here and now the tour is at risk anyway with support acts pulling out, venues may not want to be involved with him, audience members won't show up etc.

I fully respect Macklemore and what he did here, have a lot of love for him and have seen him live too a couple of years ago and he was great!

P!nk... ugh!

Genuinely feel like this is just leading to him ending up having to cancel the tour anyway so it will have all been for nothing, really terrible look for him.

(and yes this really is not the time for flippant contrarian takes / trying to just make this another argument about BuzzJack not liking Ed Sheeran - I say this as someone who is usually there to defend him)

The sad thing is that this could have been avoided had Macklemore not been ousted in the first place.

I dunno, I disagree with gooddelta that in 2026 you can't be apolitical. Rightly or wrongly there's a reason a lot of influential famous individuals and companies have a apolitical stance. I equally don't agree that it's for companies or figures to say which way they side like it has any baring on anything, it's all utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Only one country can influence things and they choose not to.

My personal view is Ed Sheeran has been put in a very difficult position and I genuinely don't know what people expect. Mackelmore has been doinf this for ages and the only reason it's got to this stage is one of his shows supporting Ed went viral and ruffled a certain individual's feathers, who in turn has lobbied against Mackelmore. You can understand Ed himself, his management and his promoters trying to find a workable solution. I don't agree with the internet wanting to cancel Ed Sheeran either for something he's not really done either. I don't think him or his team thought the issue would blow up in this way. I feel his own personal statement comes from the right place, but ends up coming across with the wrong effect.

It's crazy that someone has been able to lobby against this and at the end of all of this all that's going to happen is Ed Sheeran will likely postpone/cancel his tour. That's not going to stop the horrific acts that are happening.

Eds own damn band have left his tour??

I wasn't really against Ed for his decision, but his statement was was tipped me over. A whole lot of nothing when the side opposing macklemore and his call to end the killing of children and women are the side supporting said killing. There were no bridges to be build, Edward

Edit: My real and justified anger is obviously at those people in charge, but that doesn't change the fact that Ed's apolitical stance is hurting a lot of people, especially since he has in the past spoken up about Ukraine

He is not “apolitical” though. If he was he wouldn’t have had involvement in past political events. He also performed at Robert Kraft’s (on a semi-seperate note: he is literally named in the Epstein files btw) wedding a few years ago.

He bowed down to Robert for money and it cost him his morals, a big chunk of his fanbase AND his other supporting acts. Had he chosen to stand by Macklemore’s side, not throw him off the tour, Robert & the other stadium owners would likely have been in breach of their contract had they cancelled his tour…

He’s a spineless, coward imo. I’m so glad it’s looking like its backfired on him.

I'm not gonna say too much on this because admittedly I've not caught up fully but based on what I have seen, I think Ed definitely could have handled it better. It comes down to whether people matter more/less than performing stadiums and making money. Cancelling the tour completely because venues threatened to not let him play if he kept Macklemore would have spoken volumes on his political alignment or at least what he prioritises.

Pink, I am disappointed in for how she's criticised Macklemore however I do think her point has been skewed a little, it seems to me that she's more bothered by him using that particular platform in front of that particular crowd rather than what he was standing for. I know she mentioned scaring Jewish people but again, I don't know enough about what he said on that. Personally, I don't see the issue, artists should be able to use their platform however they see fit (if they aren't hurting anyone), even from a supporting artist slot. Macklemore has never hidden his politics and how he goes about raising awareness for them etc so surely you'd acknowledge that and the fact he may use the stage to voice some of his opinions before inviting him in the tour.

6 minutes ago, Tafty said:

He is not “apolitical” though. If he was he wouldn’t have had involvement in past political events. He also performed at Robert Kraft’s (on a semi-seperate note: he is literally named in the Epstein files btw) wedding a few years ago.

He bowed down to Robert for money and it cost him his morals, a big chunk of his fanbase AND his other supporting acts. Had he chosen to stand by Macklemore’s side, not throw him off the tour, Robert & the other stadium owners would likely have been in breach of their contract had they cancelled his tour…

He’s a spineless, coward imo. I’m so glad it’s looking like its backfired on him.

Which is what the next part of the sentence was about... he is claiming apolitical in this instance

To acknowledge some points in here.

Obviously most people know that Pink is one of my all time favourite artists and her music is really special to me. For the record, I have been quite disgusted about how she’s behaved around this issue of late and this obviously is very awkward for a fan who doesn’t share her views. Essentially, I haven’t rushed into the Pink forum to discuss it because I just haven’t had the energy or want to do so whilst I process how I’m feeling about all of it. I hope others can understand and not jump to flippantly condemn me.

I’d like to be able to agree with Lindsey’s point but my worry is that Pink, like Roisin on another issue, is too far down a rabbit hole and the recent criticism is pretty foreign to her so she’ll fall deeper. I hope not but it’s a worry. Again, it’s something I really haven’t felt like talking about so excuse me.

I’m no fan of Ed but I do feel sorry for him. I don’t think he’s a genuinely bad person but he’s handled this badly and it will backfire. I imagine the backlash won’t last forever. He’s trying to keep everyone happy and has ended up pleasing no one.

His own backing band backing out is embarrassing

36 minutes ago, Rooney said:

It's crazy that someone has been able to lobby against this and at the end of all of this all that's going to happen is Ed Sheeran will likely postpone/cancel his tour. That's not going to stop the horrific acts that are happening.

This is the thing. While I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he did cancel the tour (or postpone it), him doing so isn't going to somehow lessen the anger surrounding him right now.

I imagine someone signed off on that statement though. Often in situations like this, someone knows they have to say something but because they're under pressure it's unlikely they'll get the wording perfect.

I've seen countless Instagram posts from people almost celebrating his "downfall" which was probably the gist of what Jason was getting at earlier.

24 minutes ago, Rooney said:

I dunno, I disagree with gooddelta that in 2026 you can't be apolitical. Rightly or wrongly there's a reason a lot of influential famous individuals and companies have a apolitical stance. I equally don't agree that it's for companies or figures to say which way they side like it has any baring on anything, it's all utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Only one country can influence things and they choose not to.

My personal view is Ed Sheeran has been put in a very difficult position and I genuinely don't know what people expect. Mackelmore has been doinf this for ages and the only reason it's got to this stage is one of his shows supporting Ed went viral and ruffled a certain individual's feathers, who in turn has lobbied against Mackelmore. You can understand Ed himself, his management and his promoters trying to find a workable solution. I don't agree with the internet wanting to cancel Ed Sheeran either for something he's not really done either. I don't think him or his team thought the issue would blow up in this way. I feel his own personal statement comes from the right place, but ends up coming across with the wrong effect.

It's crazy that someone has been able to lobby against this and at the end of all of this all that's going to happen is Ed Sheeran will likely postpone/cancel his tour. That's not going to stop the horrific acts that are happening.

I think ultimately Ed has good intentions and probably was more immediately concerned about fulfilling his contracts and not letting paying fans and tour crew down. I'm sure he truly doesn't want his tour and life to become political. But on an issue as huge as this, somebody being removed from your tour for their politics makes it political, so he was between a rock and a hard place which I do understand.

But I still don't believe you can be apolitical in 2026 in a way that you more easily could be even 20 years ago before social media. Everyone is online all the time these days, sees and hears everything going on and is going to be asked their opinion by journalists and fans who look up to them, admire and adore them. I've seen all over social media today that fans of many artists have been checking Instagram today to see who has and hasn't liked Macklemore's post, it's extremely important to people how their idols act and what they believe. Rightly or wrongly, the public are closer to artists now than they ever were before and want to hear what they think. Silence is now political because many will see that as endorsement for a certain side, so stars just can't sit on the fence on major global issues without some sort of backlash or expectation of a comment.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by gooddelta

It’s actually quite tough when an act who you love does something questionable… I felt the same as you T Boy when Roísin Murphy’s trans statements happened and needed time to level everything, I just wanted to believe that she didn’t really think like that and there would be some sort of explanation that kinda made it okay. But then there wasn’t and it just got worse instead 😕

7 minutes ago, Lindsey. said:

I'm not gonna say too much on this because admittedly I've not caught up fully but based on what I have seen, I think Ed definitely could have handled it better. It comes down to whether people matter more/less than performing stadiums and making money. Cancelling the tour completely because venues threatened to not let him play if he kept Macklemore would have spoken volumes on his political alignment or at least what he prioritises.

Pink, I am disappointed in for how she's criticised Macklemore however I do think her point has been skewed a little, it seems to me that she's more bothered by him using that particular platform in front of that particular crowd rather than what he was standing for. I know she mentioned scaring Jewish people but again, I don't know enough about what he said on that. Personally, I don't see the issue, artists should be able to use their platform however they see fit (if they aren't hurting anyone), even from a supporting artist slot. Macklemore has never hidden his politics and how he goes about raising awareness for them etc so surely you'd acknowledge that and the fact he may use the stage to voice some of his opinions before inviting him in the tour.

Apparently Pink and others in attendance, we're scared for life when Macklemore said 'Free Palestine' and showed war images on the screen during his performance of Hind's Hall!!!

What pissed me off the most about Pink’s statement was that she had an entire week to respond to the accusations, but she specifically chose to say something on 9/11, a date that is already a very difficult day for many Americans. On top of that, 9/11 is probably one of the dates most strongly associated with the stereotype of Muslims as terrorists, so choosing that particular day to make the statement felt especially insensitive, but very targeted and on purpose!!!

So goodbye to her as well!!!

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by Addy!

1 minute ago, gooddelta said:

Silence is now political because many will see that as endorsement for a certain side, so starts just can't sit on the fence on major global issues without some sort of backlash or expectation of a comment.

And that's something that doesn't sit right with me.

I said as much earlier but the whole "silence is complicity" feels too black-and-white to me, but then it would be unfair to expect much nuance over the internet. Reactionary statements are more the "in" thing.

I do feel in general that they can't win, but I also agree with the notion that Ed has tried to please everyone which has had the opposite effect.

8 minutes ago, Tafty said:

He is not “apolitical” though. If he was he wouldn’t have had involvement in past political events. He also performed at Robert Kraft’s (on a semi-seperate note: he is literally named in the Epstein files btw) wedding a few years ago.

He bowed down to Robert for money and it cost him his morals, a big chunk of his fanbase AND his other supporting acts. Had he chosen to stand by Macklemore’s side, not throw him off the tour, Robert & the other stadium owners would likely have been in breach of their contract had they cancelled his tour…

He’s a spineless, coward imo. I’m so glad it’s looking like its backfired on him.

Loads of artists play private gigs for shady billionaires or states with disasterous human rights records. Ed Sheeran didn't throw Mackelmore off his tour, his promoters did because they were essentially blackmailed. I think it's an incredinly challenging situation to be put in when faced with we'll cancel the tour. These types of things can literally bankrupt artists depending on what's in contracts etc. Now a good PR team might have been able to see the risk of how this could play out, but they likely didn't factor in what has happened with other support acts deciding to quit buyoed by public pressure and seeing the wind of PR too.

3 minutes ago, gooddelta said:

I think ultimately Ed has good intentions and probably was more immediately concerned about fulfilling his contracts and not letting paying fans and tour crew down. I'm sure he truly doesn't want his tour and life to become political. But on an issue as huge as this, somebody being removed from your tour for their politics makes it political, so he was between a rock and a hard place which I do understand.

But I still don't believe you can be apolitical in 2026 in a way that you more easily could be even 20 years ago before social media. Everyone is online all the time these days, sees and hears everything going on and is going to be asked their opinion by journalists and fans who look up to them, admire and adore them. I've seen all over social media today that fans of many artists have been checking Instagram today to see who has and hasn't liked Macklemore's post, it's extremely important to people how their idols act and what they believe. Rightly or wrongly, the public are closer to artists now than they ever were before and want to hear what they think. Silence is now political because many will see that as endorsement for a certain side, so starts just can't sit on the fence on major global issues without some sort of backlash or expectation of a comment.

I'm of the view it was of good intentions and I'm not sure I agree with the pile-on here. Again, we're all very quick to judge people's actions and criticse someone. Fair enough, I think the statement Ed put out could have been a bit more in tune, but equally the hate or levels of criticism doesn't quite sit right. The criticism and anger is all being directed at the wrong person. An unfortunate consequense, which is going to end up with a cancelled tour.

I guess I kind of agree about your political about being apolitical in 2026, but also part of a huge problem of social media. But a different topic. Not sure I agree with the whole wave of silsense means endorsement either, all this enocurages on a wider scale is herd and group think mentality (not on this point btw, just a wider stance). People can be influenced in the wrong ways too.

9 minutes ago, Rooney said:

Fair enough, I think the statement Ed put out could have been a bit more in tune, but equally the hate or levels of criticism doesn't quite sit right. The criticism and anger is all being directed at the wrong person.

I think it's because people generally feel powerless.

They can't really do anything to, I suppose, stop the people committing those acts from doing that, but they can react to public figures that are on social media.

I totally get why people are angry but it feels a bit extreme.

26 minutes ago, T Boy said:

To acknowledge some points in here.

Obviously most people know that Pink is one of my all time favourite artists and her music is really special to me. For the record, I have been quite disgusted about how she’s behaved around this issue of late and this obviously is very awkward for a fan who doesn’t share her views. Essentially, I haven’t rushed into the Pink forum to discuss it because I just haven’t had the energy or want to do so whilst I process how I’m feeling about all of it. I hope others can understand and not jump to flippantly condemn me.

I’d like to be able to agree with Lindsey’s point but my worry is that Pink, like Roisin on another issue, is too far down a rabbit hole and the recent criticism is pretty foreign to her so she’ll fall deeper. I hope not but it’s a worry. Again, it’s something I really haven’t felt like talking about so excuse me.

I’m no fan of Ed but I do feel sorry for him. I don’t think he’s a genuinely bad person but he’s handled this badly and it will backfire. I imagine the backlash won’t last forever. He’s trying to keep everyone happy and has ended up pleasing no one.

Good post and this is why I feel the forcing people to take a political stance is weird. We all have conscious and unconscious biases and it affects how we percieve artists in a positive and negative light. It's the same for brands & companies too.

Frankly I've never understood the idea that Jewish people feel in some way personally attacked or threatened when the Israeli army is criticised for their actions.

I'm white and that doesn't mean I feel personally attacked when someone criticises or expresses fear and disgust toward Ian Huntley or Harold Shipman.

How reductive and smooth brained to equate critique of someone's actions while being a person with certain physical characteristics as being a critique of those characteristics.

Ed is rich enough already. The statement was poor. He clearly didn't threaten the stadiums or the owner and he could have. If he is truly concerned about the wellbeing of the tech crew he can well afford to pay them out of his own pocket!

As for Pink, what she said was stupid, but if that's her view, she's entitled to it. She didn't have veto power here like Ed did though which is why I critique him harsher in this instance. At least her statement showed where she stands honestly instead of making excuses.