Ed Sheeran has lost almost half a million Instagram followers amid the near-implosion of his US tour.
The British singer-songwriter has been embroiled in an ongoing controversy following the decision to drop his opening act Macklemore from the Loop tour, after the rapper made a number of pro-Palestine comments on stage.
Macklemore claimed that Robert Kraft – the CEO of Kraft Group who owns Gillette Stadium – personally called Sheeran to say he would not be allowed to perform at the venue, while Sheeran later responded by stating he would not be drawn into a public debate about the Gaza war and that it was “the promoter’s decision” to remove Macklemore.
The fallout continued when Sheeran’s other opening acts withdrew, while protesters gathered outside his first Macklemore-less concert last week.
Sheeran made a further comment on the scandal during his 19 September show, by reading a prepared statement off a teleprompter. “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes,” he said. “I’m so, so sorry. I don’t want to disappoint fans. I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.”
He continued: “What happened in Israel, and at the music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian loss and loss of children’s lives. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfolding in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
But Sheeran’s actions have been met by divisive responses from fans, with some attempting to cancel their tickets to his forthcoming gigs, and his follower count on social media plummeting.
According to Social Blade data, Sheeran’s Instagram account shed nearly 150,000 followers on the day (15 September) he first commented on Macklemore’s removal from his tour. A further 150,000 accounts unfollowed him the next day, and 98,000 a day later.
The decline continued over the weekend, when Sheeran made his first stage appearance with a tearful address to fans in Philadelphia. As of 23 September, his follower count is 47.2 million, down half a million followers in one week.
A number of stars have commented on the ongoing controversy, with Sting agreeing that Sheeran is in “a difficult dilemma”, and Charlotte Church declaring on stage at one of her gigs that Sheeran had chosen “consumerism and capitalism” over “doing the right thing”.
“Whilst he has made millions and has an enormous following, he has an enormous platform to do real good in the world,” she said. “Ed Sheeran, we’re watching you. Free Palestine.”
Sheeran has also been lampooned on Saturday Night Live UK, in a sketch which depicted the singer as “sitting on the fence” as war broke out between humans and artificially intelligent robots. “I don’t like to take sides. I don’t want to alienate any of my fans – humans or robots,” cast member Annabel Marlow said as Sheeran, complete with ginger hair, guitar and tattoos.
Meanwhile, Macklemore announced on social media that he would donate $1m in net earnings from his appearances on Sheeran’s tour to organisations aiding Palestinians, while challenging Kraft to match the sum.
Kraft acknowledged that Sheeran asked him to match the “Shape of You” singer’s own $2m donation. It has not yet been confirmed whether Kraft went ahead with the donation but he said in a statement that the pair planned to “work together to build bridges”.
Sheeran is next scheduled to perform on 25 September at Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.
