During his concert in Philadelphia, the first since Macklemore was kicked off Ed Sheeran's tour, the singer-songwriter addressed the controversy, and former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho is defending him amid the divided reactions.

Sheeran opened his concert at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, Sep. 19, with a statement that addressed the war in Israel and Gaza and Macklemore's exit from the tour. Some took issue with Sheeran reading from a teleprompter, while others found that he left out parts of the longstanding conflict in his speech. Acho didn't have issues with either and believes we should look to “actual politicians” rather than pop stars on such topics.

“Ed Sheeran reading a pre-written statement on the war in Israel and Gaza isn't him being a puppet[;] it's wisdom,” Acho defended. “It’s impossible to summarize 5,000 years of Middle Eastern tension into a digestible 50 second speech for the Western world. There’s nothing he could say to appease everyone, but he took time out from his show, which many criticizing didn’t even buy a ticket to and attempted to speak.

“There are nerves associated with speaking to 60,000 people on a complex political issue you aren’t professionally informed on. At the end of the day, he’s a pop star. Yet we demand more accountability and nuance from [Ed Sheeran] than we do our actual politicians,” he continued.

He then called out any of Sheeran's detractors, asking them to back up their criticisms with actions. Acho concluded, “If you've written a tweet to slander, write a check. If you've visited the comments to hate, visit the Middle East to help. Our world won't change because a pop star gave a speech, or lack thereof[;] it'll change because of the intentional actions of all of us.”

Ed Sheeran's speech about Macklemore being kicked off his tour in Philadelphia

Ed Sheeran, who announced three homecoming shows in Ipswich to promote his Play album, at the ACM Awards.
Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK.

Sheeran's show in Philadelphia was unique. It was the first in two weeks, and the first since Macklemore's ejection from the tour. His opening acts and backing band Beoga left the tour in solidarity with the rapper. In turn, he performed with a new band and didn't have a B-stage in fear of how the crowd might treat him.

During his speech, an emotional Sheeran acknowledged that he has “had to take and make difficult decisions” and conceded that he has been “making mistakes.”

Ed Sheeran addresses the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his tour and says, “What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable.”

“Before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” Sheeran said at the top of… pic.twitter.com/ZhtujolkKK

— Variety (@Variety) September 20, 2026

He clarified that he “never wanted to be an activist musician.” However, the recent controversy with Macklemore “put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.”

Sheeran then stated that “what happened in Israel and at the Nova Music festival on Oct. 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.” He doubled down, saying, “What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable, and disproportionate.”

“Our hearts can be broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, children’s lives, and the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked,” he added.

Sheeran still has nine dates remaining on the North American leg. The next will be performed at Gillette Stadium, which is owned by Robert Kraft.

Macklemore opened for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium on Sep. 4 and 5. He delivered a political speech, leading a “Free Palestine” chant. This led to criticism and his ultimate removal from the tour.