Multiple musical acts including Finneas have withdrawn from Ed Sheeran’s North and South America tour after rapper Macklemore is dropped from the lineup. The departures include Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham, with statements posted on social media describing the move as protest or solidarity following Macklemore’s onstage pro-Palestinian remarks.
Ed Sheeran and related reporting say the decision to remove Macklemore follows objections tied to venue operators, which one outlet links to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Sheeran attributes the outcome to tour promoters after negotiations with venue owners. Several outlets frame the dispute around free-speech rights and opposition to perceived efforts to silence pro-Palestinian voices, while other coverage emphasizes a broader backlash tied to Macklemore’s comments.
While outlets differ in emphasis—some highlight “free speech” and rights-based arguments, others focus on protest against the rapper’s firing—the accounts broadly agree on the sequence: Macklemore is removed, Sheeran responds that the promoters acted after venue objections, and four support acts then pull out of upcoming dates.
