Macklemore says he was kicked off of Ed Sheeran's tour after Robert Kraft intervened with 'ultimatum'

Amid the news that Macklemore has been dropped as an opener from Ed Sheeran's North American tour, the rapper has alleged that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft intervened to get him removed.

In a lengthy statement posted on Instagram, Macklemore alleged that Kraft had called Sheeran ahead of the singer's concert at Gillette Stadium, which is owned by Kraft. In what Macklemore called a "f***ed up position" for Sheeran, Kraft allegedly barred Macklemore from performing in the stadium and had "rallied" other stadium owners to issue an "ultimatum."

"Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him," Macklemore wrote. "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 opened for Sheeran on Sept. 4 and 5 at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. During his performance, Macklemore called for a "Free Palestine" in a speech before performing his song "Hind's Hall," which was written in support of pro-Palestine protests. The performance drew criticism from many, including singer P!nk , and received a significant amount of media attention.

Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, has been vocal about his support for Palestine in recent years, something that he said challenged Sheeran's "typical apolitical stance."

Sheeran's tour continues on Saturday at Philadelphia 's Lincoln Financial Field. He is set to perform two nights at Gillette Stadium after that, on Sept. 25 and 26.

In response, Kraft issued a statement defending the decision to bar Macklemore from playing at Gillette, saying that he has focused on fighting antisemitism and feels "a responsibility to stand up when I believe that line has been crossed."

"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," Kraft wrote, via The Athletic's Jonathan Jones . "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. "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."

"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," Kraft wrote, via The Athletic's Jonathan Jones . "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.

"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."

Kraft did not address Macklemore's claim that the Patriots owner rallied other stadium owners to pressure Sheeran into dropping the rapper as an opener.

In his statement, Macklemore did not mention which of the other stadium owners were involved in the ultimatum, but most of the remaining stops on Sheeran's United States leg of the tour are NFL stadiums. Some of these stadiums, like Lincoln Financial Field, AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Atlanta 's Mercedes-Benz, are technically owned by the city or state, but are operated by the NFL ownership. Only Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium is owned outright by Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, similar to Gillette Stadium and Kraft.