Macklemore pledges $1m for Palestinian aid, challenges Robert Kraft to match it

Rapper Macklemore has announced that he will donate $1 million — his entire net earnings from his shortened stint on Ed Sheeran’s "Loop Tour" — to six organisations supporting Palestinians.

He also challenged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to match his donation.

“Whatever our differences may be,” Macklemore wrote, “perhaps we can agree on one thing: Palestinian lives deserve our support.”

Kraft later said he would also commit $2 million towards humanitarian efforts in the region, following a request from Sheeran, who had called him earlier that day and asked him to make the contribution. Sheeran also committed $2 million.

In a statement issued on his behalf by Gillette Stadium, the 85-year-old Kraft said Sheeran had asked him to contribute to efforts addressing the humanitarian crisis before Macklemore publicly challenged him to match the rapper’s donation.

Kraft said Sheeran now planned to reach out to other venue owners, with the aim of continuing to “build bridges”.

He also highlighted his longstanding support for initiatives that “create opportunity for Palestinians” and said he had worked to bring “young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships”.

“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,” Kraft said. “I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.”

The donation announcement comes amid a dispute over Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s US tour.

Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, voiced support for a “free Palestine” during two of Sheeran’s concerts at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month. He also displayed images depicting the devastation in Gaza during his performance.

He was subsequently dropped from the remaining US dates of the tour, with promoter Messina Touring Group saying venues had indicated they would not host the concerts if Macklemore remained on the line-up.

Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium, said the decision to bar Macklemore was linked to what he described as the rapper’s “history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” and “material shared from the stage”. Macklemore has rejected allegations of antisemitism and maintained that his comments were in support of Palestinian rights.

Following Macklemore’s removal, several other supporting acts also withdrew from the tour in solidarity, including Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, while Sheeran’s backing band Beoga also announced its departure.

Sheeran, who performed at Kraft’s wedding in 2022, said the decision to remove Macklemore was not his. He said the decision was made by the concert promoters and stadium venues, while he had spent the week attempting to resolve the dispute.

Macklemore said donating his tour earnings was a way of turning the controversy back towards the humanitarian situation in Palestine.

“Writing a check is one of the least costly forms of solidarity available to me,” he wrote.