Fox News host Sean Hannity called Ed Sheeran 'very gutless, cowardly' after the singer addressed Israel and Gaza at a Philadelphia concert on Saturday, 19 September, accusing him of 'bowing to the woke mob' and 'trashing Israel'.
Hannity's criticism followed Macklemore's removal from Sheeran's Loop Tour over pro-Palestinian comments at a New Jersey concert on 5 September.
The other support acts withdrew in solidarity, and Sheeran later told his Philadelphia audience he had questioned whether he would perform again.
Sean Hannity Attacks Sheeran's Philadelphia Statement
Sheeran returned to the stage at Lincoln Financial Field after a week dominated by the dispute over Macklemore's removal.
Addressing concertgoers at the start of the show, he said he had never wanted to be an activist musician but could no longer avoid speaking about the humanitarian situation.
His comments covered the attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, the devastation in Gaza and conditions in the West Bank.
Sheeran said, 'What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.' He then described events in Gaza as 'catastrophic and unjustifiable, and disproportionate'. He also spoke of the loss of civilian lives, including children's lives.
On Fox News, Hannity took a different view of the address. He said, 'The controversy surrounding Macklemore and Ed Sheeran continues to spiral.'
He then called the singer 'a very gutless, cowardly Ed Sheeran bowing to the woke mob, trashing Israel'. He claimed Sheeran had apologised for failing to put Palestine 'front and centre' and had not done more to support Macklemore.
Those were Hannity's characterisations. In the remarks quoted from the Philadelphia performance, Sheeran condemned the 7 October attacks as well as the suffering in Gaza. His speech addressed both. That distinction became central to the response after a clip of Hannity's comments circulated on X.
Sean Hannity's Remarks Meet Online Criticism
One X user wrote, 'Sheeran did not trash Israel.' Another accused Hannity of attacking the singer from behind a camera.
The posts reflected opposition to Hannity's assessment, although the account of the reaction provided no measure of how widely either view was shared.
Sheeran had already told fans how close the dispute had come to changing his plans. 'I really didn't know whether this tour would be carrying on,' he said in Philadelphia. He also questioned whether he wanted to remain an artist.
The singer said the events of the preceding week had moved quickly and made him reconsider his place in the argument.
Macklemore, meanwhile, said he would give his net earnings from the tour to Palestinian relief organisations. The recipients he named included Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and UNRWA USA. He said the pledge was intended to 'bring the conversation back to where it belongs', with Palestinian people.
Sheeran said he had tried to avoid political commentary because he wanted his music and shows to be about 'unity, not division, about humanity, not politics'. But he described the situation in Gaza as a humanitarian issue and said he could no longer hide how he felt.
He told the Philadelphia crowd, 'In these situations, you really find out who your friends are, and it's been a weird week.'
