A Timeline of the Ed Sheeran & Macklemore ‘Free Palestine’ Tour Controversy

Macklemore has been one of music’s most vocal stars when it comes to supporting Palestinians amid the conflict in Gaza over the past three years, but his stance on the issue ended up sparking a major controversy surrounding the U.S. leg of Ed Sheeran ‘s Loop Tour.

Leading up to the debacle, the two musicians had been friends for more than a decade.

The pair and Ryan Lewis released a song together in 2015 called “Growing Up,” and the year prior, Macklemore and the British pop A-lister had taken the stage together at the iHeartRadio Music Festival to perform the rapper’s hit “Same Love.” Related Ed Sheeran Has No Tour Openers Left After Finneas & Lukas Graham Drop Out Over Macklemore ‘Free Palestine’ Controversy That’s partially why it reverberated so intensely when Macklemore was bluntly dropped from his opening stint on Sheeran’s trek, a decision that came after the former called for a “free Palestine” and performed “Hind’s Hall,” a politically charged track in which Macklemore makes clear his stance that Israel has been committing genocide against Palestinians ever since the deadly Hamas terrorist attacks of 2023. (At the time of the performance, the Palestinian death count as a result of the violence had surpassed more than 73,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The United Nations has declared Israel’s actions as genocidal, but the country and its allies, including the United States, deny this.) As both Macklemore and Sheeran have shared their sides of the story, more and more notable voices have also spoken out, including Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft and other Loop Tour opening acts such as Finneas and Lukas Graham.

Below, find a timeline of everything that’s unfolded since Macklemore declared his support of Palestinians while opening for Sheeran — and check back for updates as new developments occur.