Irish radio station pulls Ed Sheeran's music as Macklemore tour fallout spreads

An Irish radio station has banned Ed Sheeran's music indefinitely after the singer's tour promoter dropped rapper Macklemore over pro-Palestine stage comments, and now protest groups and fellow artists are piling on.

Classic Hits Radio, an independent Irish station run by Bay Broadcasting, announced Thursday that it would stop playing any Ed Sheeran releases for the "foreseeable future." The move came after Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates of Sheeran's U.S. Loop Tour, a decision that has triggered a chain reaction of boycotts, artist walkouts, and planned street protests targeting the 35-year-old British pop star.

Dave Kelly, Bay Broadcasting's group program director, told the New York Post the decision was driven by listener feedback and by solidarity with Irish artists who had already quit the tour. He framed it as a matter of conscience, not personal animosity toward Sheeran.

"As an independent Irish-owned radio station, however, we believe it is important to listen to our audience and to stand alongside Irish artists who have made what is undoubtedly a significant professional decision based on their own convictions."

Kelly added that the station "believe(s) in peace, humanity and respect" and "the right of people and artists to express and act upon their sincerely held views."

Eight venues refused to host shows with Macklemore on the bill

The controversy traces back to September 4 and 5, when Macklemore opened for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. During those performances, the "Thrift Shop" rapper repeatedly called for a "Free Palestine," wore a Palestinian keffiyeh, displayed "Free Palestine" on the stadium's Jumbotron, and performed a song titled "Hind's Hall," which Fox News reported has been described as anti-Israel.

Within days, eight major venues on the remaining U.S. tour schedule, including Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Gillette Stadium in New England, and AT&T Stadium in Texas, told Sheeran's promoter, Messina Touring Group, that they would not allow concerts to proceed with Macklemore on the lineup. That ultimatum, Breitbart reported, would have resulted in the cancellation of shows affecting hundreds of thousands of fans.

Messina Touring Group confirmed the removal in a statement: "After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates."

Macklemore alleged that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft personally pressured Sheeran into dropping him. He claimed Kraft told Sheeran he would not be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium and encouraged other stadium owners to issue the same ultimatum. Sheeran confirmed he spoke with Kraft as one of several venue contacts but did not confirm the full scope of Macklemore's allegations.

Sheeran says the promoter made the call, not him

Sheeran addressed the controversy in a lengthy Instagram statement, insisting the removal was not his decision. He said Macklemore's contract was with the promoter, not with him directly, and that he spent the week after the MetLife shows trying to negotiate a resolution.

"I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care."

He described speaking "with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge" and being "involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue's and promoter's decision was final."

Sheeran also explained why he keeps politics off his stage: "There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics, my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum." He said he respected Macklemore's conviction but argued there is "room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace."

The Washington Examiner confirmed Sheeran's account that the promoter, not the singer himself, made the final call on Macklemore's removal.

Four supporting acts walked off the tour

Sheeran's explanation did not satisfy everyone on the bill. Four supporting acts chose to drop out of the Loop Tour in solidarity with Macklemore: Irish artists Aaron Rowe and Beoga, Danish pop act Lukas Graham, and Finneas, the Grammy-winning songwriter and brother of Billie Eilish.

The departures hit Sheeran especially hard in Ireland, where Rowe and Beoga are well known. Classic Hits Radio cited their decisions explicitly as a factor in its own ban. Kelly said the station was not rendering "a personal judgment on Ed Sheeran" but felt that "removing Ed Sheeran's music from our playlist is the appropriate decision for Classic Hits Radio at this time."

It is worth noting what the radio station did not dispute: Sheeran's own account of how the removal happened. Kelly acknowledged the singer's explanation, saying, "We acknowledge his own explanation of the circumstances surrounding recent events." The station's objection was not that Sheeran lied. It was that the outcome, Macklemore gone, the tour continuing, was enough to warrant a response.

Pro-Palestine groups plan Philadelphia protest on September 19

The fallout is not limited to airwaves and artist lineups. Two pro-Palestine groups, the Philly Palestine Coalition and Shut Down D&Z, announced a protest outside Sheeran's Philadelphia concert at Lincoln Financial Field, scheduled for September 19. A flyer promoting the event read "Gaza is our compass" and "Billionaires, Zionists & Warmongers out of Philly."

In an Instagram caption accompanying the flyer, the groups dismissed Sheeran's stated rationale, that he removed Macklemore "in the name of 'neutrality' and being 'apolitical' and due to threats from stadium owners, including Lincoln Financial Field."

"There is no neutrality against oppression, only complicity. When the news cycle has moved on, we will still be here."

The caption also called for the liberation of Palestine, Lebanon, Cuba, Congo, and Sudan. The groups framed the protest as a return to "direct action" and rejected the idea that "Free Palestine" is "a tagline for celebrities or a slogan for online statements."

Just The News reported that Macklemore was removed from eight of the ten remaining U.S. tour dates, beginning with the Philadelphia show, the same venue now targeted for protest.

Venues held the leverage, and everyone else paid the price

Strip away the competing statements and the picture is straightforward. Macklemore used another artist's stage to deliver a political message. Venues decided they would not host the tour if he stayed. The promoter removed him. Sheeran says he tried to broker a compromise and failed. Now Sheeran is absorbing the consequences, a radio ban, four fewer opening acts, and organized protests, for a decision he says was not his to make.

Whether Sheeran deserves that backlash depends on how much weight you give his claim that the promoter, not the headliner, controlled Macklemore's contract. His critics clearly give it very little. Classic Hits Radio, the departing artists, and the Philadelphia protest organizers all treat Sheeran as responsible, regardless of the contractual fine print.

Several questions remain unanswered. Robert Kraft has not publicly responded to Macklemore's allegations of direct pressure. Lincoln Financial Field has not confirmed or denied issuing an ultimatum. And no one has specified exactly which elements of Macklemore's MetLife performances the venues found objectionable, beyond Sheeran's vague reference to "how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance."

Fox News Digital reported reaching out to Sheeran's representatives for comment and did not immediately hear back.

Sheeran chose to keep politics off his stage. The lesson the industry is delivering is blunt: in 2026, silence is a position too, and the people who demanded Macklemore's removal are nowhere to be found now that Sheeran is the one taking the hit.