Irish singer-songwriter CMAT has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Ed Sheeran's Loop tour, telling The Daily Show that while the British star could have handled the situation differently, much of the backlash against him is «a bit unfair».
Sheeran has faced intense scrutiny since Macklemore was dropped as a support act after delivering an on-stage speech calling for a «free Palestine». Following those comments, Gillette Stadium owner and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he found Macklemore's remarks «deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community». Pink and the Israeli American Council also called for the rapper's removal, and Macklemore was booted from the line-up shortly afterward.
In solidarity with Macklemore, Sheeran's band and other support acts pulled out of the tour. Sheeran then spoke publicly about the situation, saying he was «not complicit» and «appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine», describing the «suffering and pain caused on both sides» as a «tragedy». He later returned to the stage in Philadelphia and apologised for «making mistakes».
CMAT, whose real name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, offered her «hot take» during an appearance on The Daily Show. «I actually feel bad for the guy, because I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into», she said. She suggested Sheeran could have taken a firmer stand by telling organisers he wanted Macklemore to remain on the bill. «I think he could've absolutely said, 'No, cancel the tour then if you're gonna cancel the tour. I want Macklemore to stay on as my support act'. And I don't think anything would've happened», she argued.
The singer also pointed to the pressures of fame, saying that very successful artists are often surrounded by teams focused on protecting their commercial value. «I think that famous people are often surrounded by a massive team of people who are making endless amounts of money off them, [who] are putting loads of pressure on them to do the thing that upholds the capital value of their artistic product. So I think he was given really bad advice», CMAT said.
She further suggested that part of the strong reaction to Sheeran's actions stems from his recent embrace of his Irish heritage. «He wanted to reconnect to his Irish heritage, and he wanted that to be a part of his personal brand and music. So he hired all these amazing Irish musicians... which is amazing. [But] the problem then is that something like this issue – of what I would refer to as a genocide happens – then Irish people are gonna hold you to account for that», she explained.
Because of that connection, CMAT argued, Sheeran is held to a different standard than «many other musicians playing in massive stadiums that are not surrounding themselves with people that'll hold them accountable». She concluded: «He's a guy that probably got a bit unlucky by his choices. I actually think there are a lot of people who are doing much worse than him. And that's why I think a lot of the criticism is a bit unfair. There are a lot of people who are not saying anything, or doing anything to help the Palestinian people right now, who are just not getting it in the neck because they refuse to be surrounded by people who would make it an issue for them».
The controversy has drawn responses from numerous high-profile figures. Greta Thunberg, Massive Attack, Roger Waters, Dropkick Murphys, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Billy Bragg and Hayley Williams have all shown support for Macklemore. The rapper has since donated his entire $1 million in earnings from the tour to six organisations supporting Palestinians, while Kraft said Sheeran had asked him to match a $2 million humanitarian contribution.
Since the backlash began, both of Sheeran's shows at Kraft's Gillette Stadium have been cancelled due to «severe weather warnings». U2 frontman Bono also revealed that Sheeran told him he didn't want to «get into politics» when they collaborated on the band's 2026 single «Yours Eternally».