Ed Sheeran told a Philadelphia crowd he has lost family and close friends since Macklemore’s removal from the Loop Tour ignited backlash.
The “Shape of You” singer, 33, made the emotional admission Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field, where he performed before roughly 50,000 fans. Video captured by an audience member showed Sheeran tearing up as he addressed the fallout from the controversy that has cost him nearly 500,000 Instagram followers.
“In these situations you really find out who your friends are. It’s been a weird week,” he told the crowd.
Sheeran, whose follower count dropped from 47.6 million to 47.2 million after Macklemore’s Sept. 14 firing announcement, described the rupture as swift and painful. “It happened very quickly. At the same time, I had so many people telling me to cancel this tour and so many people I’ve known for years and years and years they’re kind of backing away,” he continued.
The British star then pivoted to gratitude for his remaining audience. “I look at the end of the week and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me,” he said. “People will say what they want, but I am doing this for you. I love you. I love this.”
The personal losses extend beyond friendships into his own family. Jethro Sheeran, the singer’s cousin, posted a scathing attack on Instagram last week calling Ed “selfish,” “malicious” and “cunning.”
“He puts out [a] fake narrative that’s calculated just to keep everyone happy so he can do big, private gigs and keep brand deals, etc. I agree with all of the comments he’s [gotten] and [the] bad press,” Jethro wrote in part.
Macklemore, 41, was dropped from Sheeran’s tour after shouting “Free Palestine” and performing his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall” during his set at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month. The “Thrift Shop” rapper claimed in an Instagram statement that Sheeran and his team made the decision after pressure from Robert Kraft — owner of the Kraft Group, which operates Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts — and other stadium operators.
According to Macklemore, Kraft “gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Sheeran countered with his own Instagram statement, insisting the removal was the “promoter’s decision,” not his own, because his contract was “with the promoter” rather than Sheeran directly. He maintained he tried to “build a bridge” between the opposing sides, but said the issue ultimately came down to the way “Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance.”
The controversy has had cascading effects on the tour’s structure. Since Macklemore’s firing, all of Sheeran’s remaining opening acts quit in solidarity with the rapper. The exodus left Sheeran as the sole performer on bills originally designed as multi-act showcases.
Security concerns also mounted ahead of Saturday’s Philadelphia show. Sheeran implemented what were described as drastic protective measures due to fears that audience members might throw objects at him onstage. The precautions came as fan anger translated into demands for ticket refunds across multiple tour dates.
The dispute has placed Sheeran in a precarious position between artistic solidarity and commercial pressure. His contractual relationship with tour promoters rather than direct control over lineup decisions has become a central point of his defense, though critics have questioned whether he could have resisted the venue owners’ demands more forcefully.
Macklemore’s “Hind’s Hall” performance at MetLife Stadium represented a direct political intervention during what was otherwise a pop entertainment event. The song, released in 2024, functions as a protest anthem addressing Palestinian solidarity. Its performance in the context of a major commercial tour amplified both its reach and the subsequent institutional reaction.
The Loop Tour continues under heightened scrutiny as Sheeran attempts to stabilize operations amid personnel losses, family fractures, and a shrinking social media footprint.
Sheeran’s next tour dates are Friday and Saturday at Kraft’s Gillette Stadium.