Updated
Rapper Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage during a MetLife Stadium show, allegedly after NFL owners were promised there would be no talk of Palestine. The fallout escalated quickly: all of Sheeran's remaining US tour support acts quit in solidarity, celebrities including Hannah Einbinder and Ms. Rachel publicly blasted Sheeran for his silence, and commentators noted the episode has become the biggest crisis of his famously apolitical career. Macklemore responded by pledging $1 million to Palestinian support groups and publicly challenging Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whom he accused of leading the pressure campaign to remove him from the tour, to match the donation. Kraft initially pushed back, saying he has "dedicated much of his life to building bridges between all people," but ultimately agreed to not just match but double Macklemore's $1 million pledge. The controversy has continued to build, with a Philadelphia pro-Palestine group announcing plans to protest Sheeran's upcoming Philly tour stop, keeping the story in headlines throughout the week.