American billionaire Robert Kraft has confirmed that he pressured pop star Ed Sheeran to drop rapper Macklemore from his tour of the United States.

The billionaire is the owner of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, one of the venues where Macklemore was due to appear on stage as the opening act for Sheeran’s US tour in late September.

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Letting Macklemore perform in Gillette Stadium would, Kraft said, cross a line, as he described his recent performances as including a “broader history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery”.

On Tuesday, Sheeran denied being involved in Macklemore’s removal from his shows, saying it was a decision taken by the venue and the promoter.

Who is Robert Kraft?

Robert Kraft is a Jewish American billionaire who also owns the US football team New England Patriots. He grew up in Massachusetts in an observant, Orthodox Jewish household, and Forbes magazine estimates his wealth to be more than $13bn.

Kraft has donated to a number of Jewish and Israeli causes, including the campaign “Stand Up to Jewish Hate”, which he funded with more than $20m.

His outspoken support for Israel led to him receiving the $1m Genesis Prize, an annual award known as the “Jewish Nobel Prize” for professional excellence and contributions to humanity and the Jewish community, in 2019. At the award ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Israel does not have a more loyal friend than Robert Kraft.”

The billionaire has taken famous athletes such as American footballer Tom Brady to visit an Israeli military base, where, according to an interview Kraft gave to The Times of Israel, Brady fired a gun and performed the hora, a lively dance in which participants link arms and form a circle.

Kraft also made the news earlier this year when his name was mentioned in relation to the Epstein files. When Kraft was charged with soliciting prostitution in 2019, he appointed one of Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyers to his legal team. The charges were dropped in 2020.

How did the Macklemore controversy start?

Macklemore opened a Sheeran show at the New Jersey MetLife Stadium earlier this month with a speech about Palestine.

He said: “The people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them. I say free Palestine. I say free Lebanon. Free Cuba to the Congo to Sudan to Iran.”

The speech triggered an immediate backlash, and the Israeli-American Council started a petition to have Macklemore dropped from the tour.

Macklemore defended his statements, and also his performance of the song Hind’s Hall – dedicated to Hind Rajab, the five-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces while stranded inside a car in Gaza – by stating that “wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial”.

Hamilton Hall, one of the main buildings on the campus of Columbia University, was the site of a student protest in 2024 against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The students occupied the hall and renamed it “Hind’s Hall”.

How did Kraft get involved in the row?

In an Instagram post, Macklemore said, “Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.” He also claimed that Sheeran told him Kraft had rallied other stadium owners, who collectively issued an ultimatum: “If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”

Kraft’s public statement on the issue did not address the claim that the billionaire lobbied other stadium owners. He did say he is happy to sit down with Macklemore and talk in person.

Kraft defended his involvement in preventing Macklemore from performing at his own stadium in a statement. He said, “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf.”

“But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas … whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

How has Ed Sheeran responded?

Sheeran posted his response to the row on Instagram on Tuesday, confirming that Macklemore had been removed because of his pro-Palestinian stance, but denying that he was responsible.

He wrote: “I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated. Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist. As with all my support acts, I agree that they play a setlist of their choosing.

“After Macklemore’s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting. I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said. I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.

“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision; it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.

“I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”

Radhika Sainath, Palestine Legal’s litigation director, told Al Jazeera: “I haven’t seen the terms of his contract, but I find it highly unlikely that the stadium owner retained an eleventh-hour power to veto tour openers expressing support for Palestinian human rights.”

“If Sheeran had fought back instead of giving in to censorship and bullying, not only would he have retained the moral high ground with his millions of fans – and been on the right side of history – he would likely have a strong case for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for whatever losses he incurred over Kraft’s threatened cancellation,” she added.

Has Kraft responded to pro-Palestine protests before?

Yes. He also took action during the student encampment movements across the US in 2024, when protesters were demanding an end to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and for their universities to divest from companies linked to it.

Kraft suspended his financial contributions to his alma mater, Columbia University, where protests began, stating that he was “no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken”.

The Kraft family had donated at least $18m to the New York-based university. Funding to the institution has not yet been resumed.

The Trump administration agreed with his stance and withdrew some $400m of federal funding for Columbia in 2025 on the basis that it had failed to prevent anti-Semitic acts on its campus. Columbia later settled by paying $221m and had its funding restored.

What have other artists and venues said?

Music critics and social media users have criticised what they see as the double standards that are being applied to those standing up for the rights of Palestinians and calling for an end to the war on Gaza.

One of the venues that supported Kraft’s appeal to ban Macklemore from the tour was Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. However, it hosted a performance by rapper Kanye West, who has been heavily criticised for his anti-Semitic comments. In that case, free speech protections and contractual obligations were cited as reasons not to cancel.

While Macklemore did not blame his longtime friend Sheeran for the debacle and described him as “apolitical”, the latter has performed at a charity concert to raise money for Ukraine, and he has also recorded a music video with the Ukrainian military rock band Antytila.