Ed Sheeran apologizes for excluding Mac Miller and criticizes Israel's treatment of Gaza residents
Pop star Ed Sheeran apologized on Saturday for his handling of the controversy that erupted this week when rapper Mac Miller was removed from the opening acts of his tour due to his statements about Palestine.
In his first public comment on the issue, the British singer criticized Israel’s treatment of Gaza’s residents, describing it as “unjustifiable.”
Speaking to an audience in Philadelphia, where he performed his first show since Mac Miller’s removal from the tour, Sheeran said, “I had to make difficult decisions, I’m making mistakes, and I’m very, very sorry.”
At the start of the concert, held at Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran described Hamas’s October 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis, as “horrific.” However, he characterized Israel’s subsequent war, which has killed thousands in Gaza and displaced most of its population, as “catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate.”
Sheeran also condemned the “systemic injustice” in the West Bank, where Israel’s right-wing government coalition has allowed significant expansion of Jewish settlements.
The pop star’s opening remarks on Saturday marked a notable shift from his earlier comments earlier in the week, when he wrote on Instagram that his concert audience “does not expect a political platform.”
The controversy surrounding Sheeran was sparked by a post from Mac Miller on Instagram, in which he stated that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, had informed Sheeran that he would not allow Mac Miller to perform at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where Sheeran is scheduled to hold two concerts on September 25 and 26.
Mac Miller said that Kraft and other stadium owners had told Sheeran they would not allow him to perform at their venues if Mac Miller remained on the tour, after he chanted “Free Palestine” during a concert on September 4 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Other artists participating in the tour’s opening acts later withdrew in solidarity with Mac Miller.
Despite complying with the stadium owners’ demand to remove Mac Miller, Sheeran said on Saturday that he was “extremely concerned” about venues scrutinizing the content of artists’ performances. Sheeran added, “This is happening in many places where I perform around the world, but it should never happen in a free world.”
Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered about half a mile from the venue before Sheeran’s show. Organizers said they were there to speak with people about the situation on the ground in Gaza and to highlight local groups advocating for Palestinians.
