Kathy Griffin’s Take on Ed Sheeran’s Decision

Kathy Griffin has voiced her opinion that Ed Sheeran should have firmly rejected pressure from Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft regarding the removal of rapper Macklemore from Sheeran’s tour. This situation arose after Macklemore reportedly made anti-Israel remarks during a performance.

During a recent interview on Queerty, Griffin expressed her disappointment, saying, “I wish that Ed Sheeran had not taken the advice of the ones who told him to fire Macklemore.” She emphasized that Kraft’s influential stance shouldn’t have swayed Sheeran.

“First of all, let’s not be listening to Robert Kraft, okay?” Griffin remarked. She suggested that when Kraft mentioned he had contacted other stadium owners about excluding Macklemore, Sheeran should have responded decisively. She believed that Sheeran could have easily performed elsewhere, saying, “He could go to Brazil and perform for 250,000 people.”

Griffin went on to argue that Sheeran, as a global star, had numerous alternatives and that the pressure he faced was unwarranted. “Ed had more power than he was aware of. And I think he made a bad call on this,” she stated.

Interestingly, Griffin also claimed that Macklemore’s comments were protected under the First Amendment, which has sparked some debate, as critics suggest she might not fully grasp the implications of that amendment, particularly regarding its application to private entities.

The Israeli-American Council (IAC) took note of the incident, praising Kraft and other stadium owners for their decision to remove Macklemore in order to prevent the promotion of what they termed antisemitism.

The IAC stated, “Robert Kraft’s moral leadership establishes what should be an obvious principle: a performer who traffics in antisemitism should not be given a stage.” They felt this action was necessary to prevent Macklemore from spreading his views.

Recently, Ed Sheeran has been in the spotlight due to the controversy triggered by the cancellation of Macklemore as his opening act after the latter’s anti-Israel comments. Although Macklemore was supposed to perform at several shows, Sheeran clarified that the decision to drop him was made by the promoters.

Additionally, there were plans for anti-Israel demonstrations outside Gillette Stadium during Sheeran’s shows, but these efforts were thwarted when the concerts were canceled due to an impending nor’easter.