New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced that musician Ed Sheeran asked him to contribute $2 million toward regional humanitarian aid. The request follows a tour controversy involving rapper Macklemore, whose pro-Palestinian stage remarks led to his removal from upcoming concert lineups at Gillette Stadium. Stadium owner Robert Kraft confirmed the request in a public statement issued via Gillette Stadium, detailing a conversation with the British pop star regarding humanitarian needs in the region. Robert Kraft and Ed Sheeran Respond to Tour Lineup Changes
Macklemore Removed From Gillette Stadium by Robert Kraft
The controversy began when rapper Macklemore—whose legal name is Benjamin Haggerty—performed during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey earlier this month. During those performances, the rapper called for a “free Palestineand showed images of devastation in Gaza while playing his 2024 protest song,
Hind’s Hall,” about pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied a building at Columbia University. On Monday, Macklemore was dropped from Sheeran’s line-up, just days before the tour was set to resume in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Kraft confirmed on Monday that he had made the decision to bar Macklemore from the Gillette Stadium because his venue would not provide a platform for hate speech. Kraft stated to ESPN on Monday that he had determined that Macklemore’s participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line, based on his 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 they believed had been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.
Ed Sheeran and Supporting Acts React to Tour Lineup Changes
Sheeran, who performed at Kraft’s 2022 wedding, said on Tuesday he was not responsible for Macklemore being removed as an opening act from the tour. Facing a backlash, Sheeran has said the decision to drop Macklemore was made by promoters and that he would not be drawn into a public debate over Gaza. Following Macklemore’s dismissal, all the other support acts from Sheeran’s US tour have since quit in solidarity with Macklemore. They are Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham, as well as Irish folk band Beoga, who perform with Sheeran on stage every night. The artists argued that Macklemore’s removal represented a chilling effect on free speech. Macklemore Pledges One Million Dollars and Issues Matching Challenge
Macklemore Pledges One Million Dollars and Challenges Robert Kraft
On Wednesday, Macklemore doubled down on his support of Palestine, pledging $1 million in aid and challenging Kraft to do the same before Kraft announced his own donation. Macklemore said on Instagram that with everything that had happened over the last 48 hours, he wanted to bring the conversation back to where it belonged: to the Palestinian people who were still being killed, living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.
The rapper added that he would be donating the entire $1 million of his net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people, and that he had invited Robert Kraft to match his donation, suggesting that whatever they disagreed about, perhaps they could agree that Palestinian lives were worth protecting and that a Palestinian life was no less valuable than another life on this earth.
Philanthropic History and Regional Engagement
Robert Kraft Pledges Two Million Dollars in Palestinian Aid
In response to the challenge and subsequent discussions, Kraft outlined his history of philanthropy in the Middle East. Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft pledged $2 million in donations to Palestinian aid after being thrust into the discussion surrounding rapper Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots, announced his donation in an Instagram post Wednesday, saying that he had dedicated much of his life to building bridges between all people and that he believed deeply that all lives were worth protecting.
Kraft continued by stating that earlier that day, before Macklemore challenged him to match his donation, Ed had called him and asked him to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight that humanitarian crisis, adding that Ed now planned to reach out to other venue owners and that their goal was to continue to work together to build bridges.
In the statement, which was issued by Gillette Stadium on Kraft’s behalf, he said he would like those speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that he had long supported efforts that created opportunity for Palestinians. He also said that he had worked to bring young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships. The owner of the Kraft Group, a sports and event management company, did not say whether he had rallied other stadium owners to ban Macklemore from their venues, as the rapper claims. Kraft, who is Jewish, has long been one of the most prominent pro-Israel voices in American business and sports. Over several decades, he has publicly supported Israel through philanthropy, educational programs and advocacy initiatives. Following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Kraft became increasingly outspoken against what he viewed as growing hostility toward Israel on college campuses and social media, operating through the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, formerly the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS).
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