Topic Lifecycle: Dormant
This topic is currently dormant in the news cycle. It was last covered on Friday 25 September 2026 and has not appeared in recent broadcasts.
Coverage trend (last 30 days)
How much coverage this topic got from each channel over the past month.
On screen
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Recent stories
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What was reported
A plain summary of this topic, built from the channels that covered it.
Ed Sheeran's first concert after his support act Macklemore was dropped over pro-Palestinian comments saw him directly address the controversy. Before performing in Philadelphia, Sheeran described the Hamas attacks in October 2023 as horrific and called Israel's response disproportionate and unjustifiable. He also referred to systemic injustice in the West Bank and said he was speaking to people across the spectrum to contribute to helping victims. He apologised for mistakes in handling the fallout and expressed concern about venues pre-approving performers. The concert went ahead without opening acts after several musicians dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore. Protests took place outside the venue, but the crowd inside reacted positively. Reports indicated a drop in ticket sales for the tour. Sky News also reported that Sheeran is donating £2 million to Middle East charities, and that Macklemore is donating $1 million to Palestinian relief, and that Robert Kraft, who owns a venue, is also donating.
Key Claims by Channel
Wednesday 16 September 2026
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 5 or more of 6 channels | ||||||
| Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's tour after a pro-Palestinian speech. | Not reported by BBC Two | |||||
| The withdrawals left Sheeran with no support acts for the tour. | ||||||
| Reported by a few · 2–4 channels | ||||||
| Sheeran said the decision to drop Macklemore was the promoter's, not his own, and that he is not complicit. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | |||
| Sheeran said both sides of the conflict are suffering. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV |
| Only on one channel | ||||||
| Boy George expressed support for Pink's criticism of Macklemore and shared a mocking image. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV |
| Ed Sheeran posted an Instagram statement explaining why he does not use his platform for politics. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| Macklemore made pro-Palestinian comments and showed footage of Gaza during a performance. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| The panel discussion suggested the controversy was foreseeable because Ed Sheeran and Macklemore have different approaches to politics in music. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| Ed Sheeran lost nearly 100,000 Instagram followers in 24 hours. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
| Ed Sheeran has 18 dates left on the tour. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| Ed Sheeran said he is appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| Ed Sheeran performed at a benefit concert for Ukraine in 2022. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by BBC Two | Not reported by ITV | |
Saturday 19 September 2026
| Claim | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels | ||||
| The withdrawals left Sheeran with no support acts for the tour. | ||||
| Billionaire promoter Robert Kraft insisted that Macklemore be dropped from a Boston gig. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |||
| Local pro-Palestinian groups said they would stage protests outside the Philadelphia concert venue. | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by ITV | ||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | ||||
| Ed Sheeran's concert start time was delayed to 8 p.m. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV |
| Ticket prices for Ed Sheeran's remaining concerts in the US and Latin America have dropped. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by ITV | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||
| Ed Sheeran asked Robert Kraft to match his $2m donation to Middle East aid. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Ticket sales for the Saturday night show in Philadelphia were down almost 50% according to TicketData.com. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Ed Sheeran previously said he was appalled by the Israel-Palestine conflict but would not share his personal views. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Music journalist Matt Charlton said Sheeran had supported Jeremy Corbyn, Love Music Hate Racism, and performed for Concert for Ukraine, contradicting his claim of being apolitical. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Matt Charlton suggested that Sheeran could not cancel the tour due to insurance liabilities and the cost to fans, and that he might need to address the issue on stage. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV |
| Philadelphia concert tickets were available for as little as £57. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by ITV | |
| Sheeran and his management discussed cancelling the tour. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV |
| Sarah Padilla, a former Ed Sheeran fan, planned a protest inside the stadium. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | |
Sunday 20 September 2026
| Claim | | | |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels | ||||
| Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's tour after a pro-Palestinian speech. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | ||
| The withdrawals left Sheeran with no support acts for the tour. | ||||
| Ed Sheeran described Gaza as catastrophic and unjustifiable in a pre-concert speech. | Reported by BBC One | |||
| Sheeran expressed concern about venues pre-approving performers or content. | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | ||||
| Billionaire promoter Robert Kraft insisted that Macklemore be dropped from a Boston gig. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Local pro-Palestinian groups said they would stage protests outside the Philadelphia concert venue. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| Ed Sheeran addressed the controversy in a speech before his Philadelphia concert. | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Sheeran called the Hamas attacks on October 7th horrific. | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Ticket sales for the tour dropped. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||
| Sheeran said the decision to drop Macklemore was the promoter's, not his own, and that he is not complicit. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Ed Sheeran asked Robert Kraft to match his $2m donation to Middle East aid. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Macklemore is donating his $1m tour earnings to Palestinian causes. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Macklemore's ticket sales increased by 23% after being dropped. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Some US stadiums have allowed controversial figures like Kanye West despite banning Macklemore. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| A broadcaster said Sheeran made a mistake by having a political supporting act while claiming to be apolitical. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Ed Sheeran expressed uncertainty about his safety and whether objects would be thrown at him. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Ed Sheeran's tour will continue for 16 more dates. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Ticket sales for Sheeran's remaining concerts had been declining before his statement, while Macklemore's sales rose. | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Sheeran said he questioned whether he wanted to be an artist at all. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Sheeran had previously spoken about Russia and Ukraine, a contrast critics raised regarding his earlier stance on Gaza. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Sheeran apologised on stage in Philadelphia and acknowledged mistakes amid the tour controversy. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Sheeran told fans he would not let them down and performed alone. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.
Timeline
Where this topic appeared. Cells show coverage time and are darker when there was more coverage.
| Date | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 25 September 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1m 15s 1.2% |
| Monday 21 September 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | 2m 20s 3.1% | — | — |
| Sunday 20 September 2026 | 24s 18.8% | 14m 56s 12.9% | 11m 45s 12.1% | — | 2m 35s 9.9% | — | 6m 39s 30.3% | 20m 11s 20.8% |
| Saturday 19 September 2026 | — | 14m 55s 12.9% | 4m 33s 13.8% | — | — | — | 3m 11.8% | — |
| Friday 18 September 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2m 22s 2.9% | — |
| Thursday 17 September 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5m 38s 6.7% | — |
| Wednesday 16 September 2026 | 3m 8s 8.0% | 8m 30s 7.1% | 9m 28s 9.4% | 3m 32s 5.2% | 8m 9s 16.2% | — | 8m 58s 7.2% | — |
| Tuesday 15 September 2026 | — | — | 1m 4s 1.0% | — | — | — | 1m 46s 2.8% | — |