NEWSInside the 40-Minute Phone Call That Left Ed Sheeran's Tour in Chaos
Kraft pressured Sheeran to drop Macklemore from the tour.
Sept. 18 2026, Published 11:17 a.m. ET
Over the course of 40 minutes, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft made clear to Ed Sheeran that if "Thrift Shop" singer Macklemore remained the opening act on his tour, he and other NFL owners would make sure his scheduled shows at their stadiums would be canceled.
A new report from The Wall Street Journal revealed just how Kraft, 85, flexed his influence to punish Sheeran and Macklemore after the latter voiced his support for Palestine on the tour.
Kraft Threatened Sheeran Over the Phone
Kraft used his NFL owners' power to affect the tour.
Macklemore, 43, accused Israel of committing genocide and voiced his support for Palestine during a pair of shows in early September at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the NFL's Jets and Giants play.
Kraft, who has a relationship with Sheeran and had the musician perform at his 2022 wedding, reportedly called the “Shape of You” singer and made it clear that his September 25 and 26 shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., would be canceled if Macklemore remained the opening act.
Kraft Said Other Stadium Owners Were Prepared to Drop Sheeran
Kraft lectured Sheeran on his view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Kraft told Sheeran that while he sympathized with Palestinians, he felt the real problem in the conflict was the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hamas. He argued Macklemore's comments amounted to hate speech, and he would not allow him to make similar comments in his stadium.
Furthermore, he made clear that the owners of the NFL's Eagles, Panthers and Falcons would also cancel the tour's stops at their stadiums if Macklemore stayed on.
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The Three Parties Manage the PR Crisis
Macklemore pledged $1 million to Palestinian organizations.
Faced with losing some important tour dates, Sheeran's promoter dropped Macklemore from the tour, opening up a massive PR crisis for Sheeran, Macklemore and Kraft. The rest of the supporting acts and Sheeran's own backing band dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore, leaving Sheeran by himself to play massive stadiums.
Each of the three key players released statements addressing the controversy. Kraft pledged $2 million for "aid to the region" at Sheeran's request after he allegedly conspired to crush his tour.
Macklemore said he would donate the $1 million he received from booking the tour to organizations supporting Palestinian people.
Sheeran Stays Silent on Palestine
Sheeran refused to take a stance on the conflict.
He also said he knew Sheeran's typical apolitical stance was challenged after the phone call from Kraft.
“Ed was in a f------ up position,” Macklemore wrote in a statement. “But he couldn’t get past his public-facing, ‘I don’t take sides.’”
Sheeran abdicated any responsibility for the decision to drop Macklemore from the tour in his own statement. He also said he is "not complicit" and has "personal views" on the Israel-Palestine conflict that he chooses not to share.
"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," he said in his statement.
