Ed Sheeran Cries On Stage Over Tour Controversy, Doesn't Mention Israel

Ed Sheeran burst into tears during a concert in Philadelphia on Saturday while addressing the controversy surrounding his tour and the situation in Gaza. The singer became emotional while reading a prepared statement from a teleprompter and apologised to fans for the decisions he had made during what he called a difficult week.

However, Sheeran's emotional speech has led to more discussion online. Social media users have been talking about his use of a teleprompter, the words he used in his statement and the things he did not say.

Ed Sheeran starts to cry while reading a teleprompter message “from the heart” at tonight's concert. pic.twitter.com/M3AGxEPbFO

— MR. POP (@MrPopOfficial) September 20, 2026

Several users questioned why Sheeran needed a teleprompter while giving what was presented as a personal statement. Some said that his entire speech appeared to have been prepared in advance, even though he became emotional while reading it.

Others focused on his comments about Gaza. Sheeran called the situation "catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate". However, some social media users pointed out that he did not directly name Israel while talking about Gaza.

Some questioned why he did not use the word "genocide" or directly blame Israel while discussing the situation. Some also said that Sheeran spent a large part of his statement talking about the pressure he faced, his fans and the controversy around his tour instead of directly answering the questions raised after rapper Macklemore was removed from his tour.

"This looks really fake  and rehearsed," one user pointed out.

The controversy started after Macklemore, who was supposed to perform before Sheeran on his US tour, said "Free Palestine" during a September 5 concert in New Jersey. Macklemore was later removed from the remaining US shows. Sheeran has said that he was not responsible for the decision and that the tour promoter was behind it.

According to AP, the decision came after stadium owners objected to Macklemore's comments. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was among those involved. His company owns a stadium where Sheeran's tour was scheduled to perform.

Sheeran spoke about Gaza at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, September 19, in his first concert since the controversy involving rapper Macklemore and several other artists who later walked away from his tour.

"What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate," Sheeran told the crowd, according to AFP. He said his heart had been broken by the scale of the devastation and the loss of civilian and children's lives. He also said the "systemic injustice" in the West Bank could not be ignored.

He also spoke about the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel, calling them horrific.

"I don't want to disappoint fans, and I've never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet," the AP quoted him as saying.

The singer then spoke about the difficult decisions he had faced during the past week. "I've had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I am so so sorry," AFP quoted Sheeran as saying. The audience responded with cheers.

Sheeran later said the week had been the "hardest of my life" and that he had been afraid people might "throw things" at him. At the end of the show, he thanked the audience for supporting him and called the concert the "best night" of his life before becoming tearful.

"I honestly am so grateful that you are here tonight with me. This concert is still a place," he said.

The controversy grew when other artists also left Sheeran's tour in support of Macklemore.

Irish folk band Beoga withdrew from the tour after Macklemore was removed. Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe were later brought in but also left. Finneas, Billie Eilish's brother and musical collaborator, was also scheduled to join Sheeran for his South American shows but pulled out.

Sheeran therefore started Saturday's Philadelphia concert without an opening act.

He later brought five musicians on stage and said they had learned his songs in only three days. He thanked them for joining him at a time when, as he said, "no one wants to stand on stage with me".

Outside the stadium, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered before the concert. AFP reported that a few dozen people carried Palestinian flags and chanted "Free, free Palestine".

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) has also called for a boycott of Sheeran's world tour. AFP reported that the group urged artists, fans and crew members to stay away from his concerts, including his upcoming Latin American dates and the European leg, which has not yet been announced.

Macklemore has said he will donate $1 million to Palestinian relief efforts and called on Kraft to match the donation.

Sheeran was ranked by Pollstar in late 2025 as the No. 3 highest-earning concert act of the millennium so far, based on figures from 2001 to 2025.