Ed Sheeran has denied responsibility for Macklemore being dropped from his US tour, saying the decision was made by promoters after the rapper's pro-Palestinian remarks on stage drew criticism from Jewish groups. In response, all remaining support acts have quit the tour in protest, including Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Irish folk band Beoga, who had performed with Sheeran nightly.

Macklemore, real name Benjamin Haggerty, called for a "free Palestine" and showed images of the devastation in Gaza during two New Jersey concerts earlier this month, after which venues pressured promoters Messina Touring Group to remove him. Sheeran said he had tried "at length all week" to broker a compromise with venues but was overruled, insisting he keeps politics off his platform because his young audience "does not expect a political forum." His explanation has failed to satisfy the departing acts, with Lukas Graham arguing artists should be free to speak about civilian deaths, while Rowe said he did not take the decision lightly despite calling Sheeran a friend who had "changed my life."