Entertainment22 September, 20262 min read
Charlotte Church Accuses Ed Sheeran Of Choosing Capitalism Over Doing The Right Thing
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Church accuses Sheeran of choosing capitalism over taking a stand on Macklemore's Gaza remarks. Sheeran says promoters made the decision to drop Macklemore from the US tour.
Church attacks Sheeran
Charlotte Church accused Ed Sheeran of choosing “consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing” after Sheeran dropped Macklemore from his US Loop Tour. Church told the audience at Charlotte Church's Pop Dungeon at Depot in Cardiff on Sunday that “Whilst he [Sheeran] has made millions and has an enormous following, he has an enormous platform to do real good in the world, he chose consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing.”
Church also said she did not agree that “musicians shouldn't be involved in politics, politics is life,” and she added “Ed Sheeran, we're watching you,” as she urged the crowd to respond. Ed Sheeran had apologized to fans on Saturday for “mistakes” as he opened his first show since the controversy, and his promoters had decided to drop Macklemore, not him.
Macklemore, Kraft, and fallout
Macklemore began the controversy on 4 September when he performed as the opening act at Sheeran's concert at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and told the audience: “Free Palestine.” The row escalated after Macklemore was removed from the tour on 14 September, and the BBC said Sheeran’s decision to drop Macklemore was made by his promoters, not him.
The Jewish Chronicle said Macklemore was removed after seven of the eight remaining scheduled venues threatened to cancel if he stayed on the bill, and it reported that Messina Touring Group announced the rapper would no longer be featuring. The Jewish Chronicle also reported that Sheeran spoke to fans in Philadelphia as the tour got back underway on Saturday, minus all his other support acts who had dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore.
Sheeran apologizes, tour stakes
Ed Sheeran addressed the controversy during his September 19 concert in Philadelphia, saying he had made “mistakes” and telling fans he was “so, so sorry.” Sheeran said he wanted his shows to be about unity, not division, and he described what happened in Israel on 7 October as “horrific” while calling what was happening in Gaza “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”
The Independent en Español said Sheeran lost almost half a million followers on Instagram, with Social Blade data showing his account lost nearly 150,000 followers on September 15, another 150,000 the next day, and 98,000 more a day later. The Independent en Español also said Sheeran’s follower count stood at 47.2 million as of September 23, and it reported that his next performance was scheduled for September 25 at Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.