“We know who Ed Sheeran is now”: Game of Thrones star slams singer for dropping Macklemore from tour over Palestine comments

Ed Sheeran dropped his tour mate Macklemore from his ongoing Loop tour over the latter’s “Free Palestine” rhetoric at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on September 4 and 5.

Irish actor Liam Cunningham, best known for playing Davos Seaworth in the HBO epic fantasy drama Game of Thrones, called out the English singer-songwriter in a single-line tweet:

“We know who Ed Sheeran is now.”

liam cunningham

@liamcunningham1

We know who Ed Sheeran is now.

Cunningham, a member of Global Steadfastness Flotilla, previously told Anadolu Agency in September 2025:

“Above all, I am a human being, and as a human being, I don’t accept what is happening to the Palestinians. That’s why I’m here. It is a medieval siege. The British used similar methods against us [Ireland], but what the Palestinians are suffering is much worse. It feels as if we are living inside a castle 500 years ago because of this siege.”

Back then, Liam called out the “cowardice of the European Union” and the “hypocrisy of some countries,” adding:

“Some countries claim that sending weapons to kill Palestinians is acceptable. The cowardice of these politicians disgusts me.”

Cunningham is not the only public figure to criticize Ed Sheeran. Actor-writer Wil Wheaton called Ed Sheeran a “coward with no conviction” in a post on Threads. The Star Trek star continued:

“My takeaway from this is that Ed Sheeran is... more concerned about stuffing even more money into his pockets than taking a principled stand to not only support his friend of 13 years, but the thousands of Palestinians who are being murdered by Israel, with the support of the Trump regime. Ed Sheeran let Robert Kraft tell him what to do. The same Robert Kraft who is in the Epstein files again and again. Macklemore has character and integrity. Ed Sheeran does not.”

Spanish actor Javier Bardem also called out Sheeran’s decision to drop Macklemore from his tour on his Instagram Stories. He also offered his solidarity for the Seattle-born rapper and wrote of Ed’s tour, “Boycott activated.”

Likewise, children’s YouTuber and educator Ms Rachel slammed the Shape of You artist via social media:

“Ed Sheeran had an opportunity to show that we won't be bullied into punishing people for supporting Palestine. Instead, he caved to people who refuse to accept what the world knows...We all need to speak out against it.”

Here’s what Macklemore said about getting dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour

During his September 4 opening set for Ed Sheeran, Macklemore called for a “Free Palestine” and performed his song, Hind’s Hall, that supports pro-Palestinian protests. The song refers to Columbia University students renaming Hamilton Hall to Hind’s Hall in honor of the 5-year-old Hind Rajab, the Palestinian girl killed in the Gaza Strip.

Macklemore further said in his speech:

“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality. So, I say free Palestine, I say free Lebanon, I say free Cuba, I say free Congo, free Sudan, free all people in America living in fear of… ICE. None of us will be free until we are all free.”

His rhetoric made headlines and earned mixed reactions, following which he was removed from the tour. Macklemore took to Instagram and shared a lengthy statement:

“I’m going to speak from the heart and share the truth. Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour. But before I get into it, I want to say something that should be obvious. In this moment, I think it matters. I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.”

Macklemore referenced Pink as she vocally criticized his pro-Palestine stance. The Glorious singer continued:

“The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.”

Macklemore claimed that in the middle of media attention surrounding Pink and what he said at MetLife Stadium, Ed Sheeran informed him last Monday that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft called him and said that the rapper would not be “allowed” to play at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on September 25 and 26.

“We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” Macklemore wrote.

The rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, explained that Sheeran was in a “f****d-up position” considering his “typical apolitical stance” was being “challenged” in a way like never before. Macklemore added:

“He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed… then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn’t get past his public-facing, ‘I don’t take sides.’ And I get why people don’t. Taking a side can cost you.”

Macklemore explained that taking a side can cost celebrities money, sponsorships, brand deals, festivals, private shows, relationships, access, and more, adding he’d lost “all of those things.” However, he asserted that he couldn’t maintain neutrality when it came to the oppressor and the oppressed.

“When one side has the bombs and bottomless financial and military support from America, refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle,” Macklemore concluded.

Meanwhile, concert promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed Macklemore’s ban in a September 14 statement:

“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

As for Robert Kraft, he told Variety in a statement:

“Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech. Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”

The billionaire businessman continued:

“This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas… whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

Kraft, 85, added:

“I agree with Macklemore. Too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate. Over many decades, I have directed resources to Palestine and created athletic and entrepreneurial opportunities for Palestinians who I admire and respect. Standing with the Palestinian people and standing against Hamas, antisemitism and hate should not be mutually exclusive.”

Robert Kraft claimed he had “tremendous respect” for Ed Sheeran and his music and was “proud to welcome” him and his fans at Gillette Stadium. He further mentioned he was open to sitting down with Macklemore to discuss the facts and share their common goal of “peace for all people” and put an “end” to suffering and hate.

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Rock band Garbage, pop group MUNA, and singer-songwriter Kehlani were also among other celebrities who condemned Ed Sheeran and offered their solidarity for Macklemore.

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