Macklemore has officially been dropped from the remaining U.S. dates he was scheduled to play on Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour, bringing an abrupt end to his run as an opening act after his pro-Palestinian statements at MetLife Stadium sparked mounting backlash.

The Seattle rapper had been scheduled to support Sheeran at eight of the remaining 10 U.S. shows, but tour promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed Monday, Sept. 14, that Macklemore would no longer appear on those dates. The promoter said venues on the upcoming tour had informed organizers that they would not allow concerts to proceed with Macklemore on the lineup, creating the possibility that entire shows could be canceled.

“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s US Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming US tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup,” Messina Touring Group said in a statement reported by multiple outlets. The promoter said the situation threatened to affect hundreds of thousands of fans and that, following discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore would no longer perform on the remaining dates.

The decision follows Macklemore’s Sept. 4 appearance at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where he used part of his opening set to speak about Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

“The truth is, a big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I can stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore told the crowd, according to footage and subsequent reporting.

He also performed “Hind’s Hall,” his pro-Palestinian protest song named after the Columbia University building that student protesters renamed during demonstrations over the war in Gaza.

Backlash Builds After MetLife Stadium

Macklemore’s performance quickly moved beyond the stadium and became the subject of a wider political and cultural dispute.

The Israeli American Council launched a petition calling for his removal from Sheeran’s tour, while critics argued that some of Macklemore’s rhetoric surrounding Israel had crossed a line. Macklemore has rejected accusations of antisemitism and has maintained that his criticism is directed at the Israeli government and its conduct toward Palestinians rather than Jewish people.

His supporters, meanwhile, have defended his willingness to use a stadium platform to draw attention to Palestinian civilians and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

That debate ultimately collided with the business of operating a major stadium tour.

Messina Touring Group’s statement indicates that the issue was no longer simply about public criticism. According to the promoter, venues themselves were refusing to host upcoming Loop Tour concerts if Macklemore remained part of the lineup.

Macklemore had been scheduled to appear at eight of Sheeran’s final 10 U.S. concerts, beginning with the tour’s Sept. 19 stop in Philadelphia. Other upcoming stops included stadium shows near Boston and in Atlanta, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Dallas and Tampa.

Macklemore Says He and Sheeran Had ‘Difficult Conversations’

Macklemore addressed his removal Monday and acknowledged that the controversy had placed Sheeran, a longtime friend, in a difficult position.

The rapper said he and Sheeran had been having “some difficult conversations this past week” as the pressure surrounding his appearances increased.

Macklemore also pointed specifically to Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner whose Kraft Group controls Gillette Stadium, where Sheeran is scheduled to perform later in September.

Macklemore alleged that Kraft played a central role in the opposition to his continued participation and claimed other venue owners were encouraged to take similar positions. Those broader allegations about coordination among venue owners are Macklemore’s claims and had not been independently established when his removal was announced.

What was confirmed was that multiple venues had told the tour promoter they would not allow concerts featuring Macklemore to proceed.

A Friendship Caught in the Middle

The controversy also puts unusual pressure on Macklemore’s relationship with Sheeran.

The two artists have known each other for years, and Macklemore made clear in his statement that he still viewed Sheeran as a friend despite disagreeing over how the situation unfolded.

That makes his removal different from a typical dispute between an artist and a tour organizer. Macklemore was not simply criticizing an anonymous promoter after losing a booking; he was being removed from a major tour headlined by someone he has publicly described as a friend.

As of Monday, Sheeran had not publicly commented on Macklemore’s removal.

That leaves Messina Touring Group’s statement as the clearest official explanation for the decision: upcoming venues were threatening not to host the concerts if Macklemore remained on the bill, potentially putting the rest of the U.S. tour at risk.

Macklemore Stands Behind His Message

Despite losing eight stadium appearances, Macklemore has shown no indication that he intends to walk back his support for Palestinians.

His advocacy predates the Loop Tour controversy. In 2024, he released “Hind’s Hall” in support of pro-Palestinian student protesters, and he has repeatedly criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and its policies toward Palestinians.

The MetLife performance brought those views to an especially large audience because Macklemore was appearing as the supporting act on another superstar’s stadium tour.

Now that moment has cost him the rest of his scheduled appearances.

The Loop Tour is expected to continue without Macklemore, while the rapper’s removal has transformed what began as an onstage political statement into a much larger dispute over artist expression, venue control and what happens when political activism collides with the economics of a major stadium tour.

For now, one thing is clear: Macklemore will not be onstage when Sheeran’s U.S. tour resumes in Philadelphia on Sept. 19.

And as of the announcement Monday, Ed Sheeran himself had yet to publicly weigh in.