Ed Sheeran's longtime pal Jordan Stephens savages singer over Macklemore row as he declares: 'Every time he speaks on stage, it gets WORSE'

Ed Sheeran's longtime pal Jordan Stephens has savaged the singer over his handling of the Macklemore row, declaring 'every time he speaks it gets worse.'The Rizzle Kicks star, 34, who has known Ed, 35, for more than 15 years, hit out at his friend's response after rapper Macklemore, 43, was removed from the remaining dates of his US Loop tour.Macklemore has since announced a string of Free Palestine gigs and will be performing concerts in Dublin, Paris and London, beginning on October 26, with proceeds 'benefitting organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement'.Jordan has now revealed that he had even contacted Ed privately as the controversy unfolded, and had felt 'conflicted' about discussing their friendship publicly.'The closeness with Ed goes insofar as we were wanting to give him space to respond and see if there was something to come from that response,' Jordan said on his Miss Me? podcast on Thursday.He added: 'It's very clear that in spite of the fact that Ed is a very kind person and has helped many of these artists with their career, it was unacceptable how he chose to respond.'This whole political neutrality, total playing down of what's happening in Gaza, the use of the word 'conflict' in his statement was appalling. It was an appalling statement.' Ed Sheeran's longtime pal Jordan Stephens has savaged the singer over his handling of the Macklemore row, declaring 'every time he speaks it gets worse' The Rizzle Kicks star, 34, who has known Ed, 35, for more than 15 years, hit out at his friend's response after rapper Macklemore, 43, was removed from the remaining dates of his US Loop tourOther stars who have come out to criticise Ed in the wake of the Macklemore situation include Charlotte Church and Roger Waters. Jordan's friendship with Ed stretches back to before either of them had become a household name, with Ed joining Rizzle Kicks on stage in 2011 and later featuring on the duo's 2012 Dreamers remix.His criticism intensified over Ed's later attempts to explain himself to fans from the stage.'Every time he speaks on stage, it gets worse,' Jordan said. 'Like, I can't. Absolutely. Someone needs to stop him.'He spoke on stage on the Saturday with a teleprompter, which is a bad start. You know, it would be nice to come from the heart.'And he has, again, in an attempt to make things better, firstly apologised, then said it's an incredibly complex situation, which it's not.'Jordan said the original Macklemore dispute had not required Ed to take a position on Israel and Palestine at all.'The other thing that bugs me about it as his friend is... the initial ask of him with Macklemore didn't even require him to take a stance,' Jordan said. 'That's what's so stupid.'All he had to do was have a backbone and say, 'I'm not going to carry on playing if you're taking one of my mates off.' Why have you booked Macklemore if you're not willing to stand by him?'The row began after Macklemore declared 'Free Palestine' during a performance at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on September 4.He was later removed from the remaining US dates of Ed's tour after a number of venues objected to his continued involvement. The row began after Macklemore declared 'Free Palestine' during a performance at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on September 4New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, 85, whose Kraft Group owns and operates Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, barred Macklemore from performing there.Kraft said his objection was not to advocacy for Palestinians but what he described as Macklemore's history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. Macklemore has rejected accusations that he is antisemitic.Tour promoter Messina Touring Group subsequently removed Macklemore from the remaining dates, saying multiple venues would not accept him on the bill.Ed has insisted the decision was not his, writing in a statement: 'Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine.'He said he had attempted to act as a bridge between Macklemore, the promoters and venues in an effort to resolve the dispute.Several of Ed's other support acts subsequently pulled out in solidarity with Macklemore, leaving the singer facing mounting criticism over whether he should have done more to protect the rapper's place on the tour.Jordan acknowledged the personal toll the backlash may have taken on Ed, despite his huge wealth and success.He said: 'Obviously, it's my understanding that he's a human being and money doesn't provide you with emotional resilience.'Jordan added that Ed would have endured 'one of the most hellish weeks', noting that the singer had spoken on stage about friends and others walking away from him.But he also argued that Ed's position gave him the ability to take a stronger stand, saying: 'You do have power in that position.'Ed addressed the controversy at his first show following the walkouts in Philadelphia on Saturday, telling the crowd he had made mistakes and apologising.He told fans: 'I never wanted to be an activist musician,' but said the row had thrust him into an argument over free speech and the Israel-Palestine conflict.The Shape Of You hitmaker condemned the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, calling what happened 'horrific'.He also described what was happening in Gaza as 'catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate' and told fans that his concerts should remain a 'safe space for everyone'.