NEWSEd Sheeran Loses 200,000 Instagram Followers While Support Acts Gain 1.6 Million Collectively After 'Free Palestine' Scandal
Ed Sheeran lost hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers after Macklemore’s tour exit.
Sept. 17 2026, Published 9:33 a.m. ET
Ed Sheeran is seeing a major shift in his Instagram following.
The 35-year-old singer-songwriter has lost more than 200,000 followers in recent days.
However, the artists who left or were removed from his Loop Tour have gained a combined 1.6 million followers, per Social Blade data.
The numbers came after Macklemore was removed from the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s tour following his onstage support for Palestine during a September 4 performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Ed Sheeran Addressed Macklemore’s Tour Exit
Ed Sheeran lost more than 200K Instagram followers as the tour controversy unfolded.
Sheeran addressed the controversy in a six-slide Instagram post on September 15.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine,” he wrote.
“Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me,” he added.
Macklemore and four other support acts gained a combined 1.6 million followers.
He also said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” and described the suffering on “both sides” as a “human tragedy.”
The British singer explained that venues hosting upcoming concerts had warned they would pull the shows if Macklemore remained on the tour.
He said he spoke with venue representatives, including Robert Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium through the Kraft Group.
“I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all,” he explained.
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Macklemore and the Other Support Acts Responded
Ed Sheeran’s tour lost four more artists after Macklemore was removed over Gaza remarks.
The 43-year-old previously said Sheeran and his team had made the decision to remove him from the tour after he spoke about Gaza and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall.”
“I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say. Free Palestine,” Macklemore wrote.
Following his departure, Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and Beoga also announced that they would no longer perform on the tour.
Finneas, the 29-year-old musician and Billie Eilish’s brother, wrote, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Sheeran’s Instagram following takes a hit
Ed Sheeran said he is 'not complicit' after Macklemore’s exit.
Per the social media analytics site, Sheeran lost 149,635 followers on September 15 alone.
He had also lost 43,648 followers the previous day, with another 70,111 lost by the morning of September 16.
Meanwhile, Macklemore gained 757,098 followers on September 15 and more than 1.5 million over the two-and-a-half-day period covered by the data.
Sheeran, meanwhile, maintained that he had chosen not to use his professional platform to publicly push political opinions.
“I am not complicit,” he wrote, adding, “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.”
