Jack Antonoff Slams Ed Sheeran’s Response to Macklemore ‘Free Palestine’ Fallout: ‘Stand the F–k Up’

Jack Antonoff slammed Ed Sheeran for his response to Macklemore being removed from his concert following Pro-Palestine comments on stage.In a new interview with The Guardian, Antonoff went after Sheeran and said his response came off as him siding with promoters and billionaires. He also said the musician missed a “beautiful opportunity” to cancel the tour and make a larger statement. “If you think it is [controversial] you’re lost in some other sauce that is so crazy,” Antonoff said. “They’re going to let some f–king promoter tell me what I can say? Don’t book me. I’ll play for free outside. [Sheeran] missed a massive, beautiful opportunity there: Just cancel the whole f–king tour, then play for free outside each venue, raise a bunch of money, rather than let a f–king billionaire tell you what to do.” He added: “The reason it’s not an anomaly or niche issue is because we all live in a world where billionaires are constantly telling us what to do. So stand the f–k up.” Back in early September, Macklemore shouted out “Free Palestine” during his opening performance for Sheeran’s Loop Tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, rapping in front of footage of Gaza, the occupied West Bank and pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The performance has sparked a petition from the Israeli-American Council and eventually led to his removal from the tour. Sheeran’s statement after Macklemore’s departure was largely panned for not taking a side. “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision. It was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me,” Sheeran explained. “I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.” The “Shape of You” singer’s statement appears to corroborate both Macklemore and Robert Kraft’s version of events after the rapper blamed Kraft for his removal due to his “Free Palestine” messaging. For his part, Macklemore made sure to point out that “antisemitism is real” in his initial statement, while also noting that “more than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone.” “Ed was in a f–ked up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before,” Macklemore wrote at the time. “But he couldn’t get past his public-facing ‘I don’t take sides.’” He finished: “I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed two. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say. Free Palestine. If those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve been on.”