Producer and musician Jack Antonoff has voiced strong criticism of Ed Sheeran, stating that Sheeran "missed a massive, beautiful opportunity" to defend artists' rights to free speech during the recent controversy involving rapper Macklemore.
Macklemore was removed as an opening act from Sheeran's tour after making pro-Palestinian comments during a Sept. 4 concert at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. Antonoff, in a recent interview with The Guardian, suggested Sheeran should have canceled his tour dates or performed for free rather than comply with demands to drop Macklemore.
"It’s not in any way a strange, uncomfortable or controversial thing to say, it’s a deeply human thing to say," Antonoff, who is Jewish, told the outlet. He added that Sheeran should not have "let some fucking promoter tell me what I can say."
Antonoff argued that Sheeran "missed a massive, beautiful opportunity there: just cancel the whole fucking tour, then play for free outside each venue, raise a bunch of money, rather than let a fucking billionaire tell you what to do." He urged artists to "stand the fuck up" against billionaires dictating their speech.
Messina Touring Group announced Macklemore's removal, citing "discussions with stakeholders." However, Macklemore directly blamed Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots, stating Kraft and other stadium owners had threatened to bar Sheeran from performing if Macklemore remained on the tour.
Sheeran has maintained that Macklemore's contract was with the promoter, not with him directly, and that he was not responsible for the rapper's removal. Despite Sheeran's statement, three other supporting acts—Aaron Rowe, Finneas, and Lukas Graham—along with the backing band Beoga, withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Antonoff, known for his work with artists like Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, has previously expressed his political views. During a Bleachers concert, he altered lyrics to include the phrase "Free Palestine and fuck ICE!"
Macklemore has since launched his "Free Palestine Tour," with his first show in Dublin featuring guests like Hozier and messages of support from actors Ilana Glazer and Mark Ruffalo.