Ed Sheeran hit by viral false claims after Macklemore controversy

Ed Sheeran’s controversial US tour has sparked a wave of viral rumours. A false claim that his music was removed from Spotify racked up more than 3 million views on X, despite his his music remaining available. Another video, viewed over 14 million times, falsely suggested Sheeran was now defiantly performing solo after all his support acts withdrew, but not only is the footage dated, but Sheeran has indeed replaced the backing musicians. Vedika Bahl fact-checks in Truth or Fake.

It's the tour that's become engulfed in controversy, since rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his pro-Palestinian comments on stage, triggering an avalanche of all the support acts to pull out in solidarity with Macklemore and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The dispute has also fuelled a wave of claims online, including two viral posts falsely portraying developments around Sheeran’s shows.

One claim suggested Sheeran’s music had been removed from Spotify following the backlash. The post, shared by an account called HoopsCrave, amassed more than 3 million views on X. But there is no evidence that Spotify has removed Sheeran’s music. His songs remain available on the streaming platform, and there has been no announcement from Spotify confirming any such decision.

The account behind the claim is also labelled "Parody and Satire" on its X profile, an important detail that was missed by many users who shared the post.

The only legitimate online result regarding the removal of Sheeran's music involves a decision by Irish radio station Classic Hits Radio, which said it had removed his songs from its playlist “for the foreseeable future” following listener feedback. 

A second viral claim focused on Sheeran’s performances following the withdrawal of several support acts.

Viewed more than 14 million times, a video was shared with a caption suggesting Sheeran was defiantly continuing the tour alone after his opening acts cancelled and his band quit.

But the footage is not from the current Loop Tour.

The clip shows Sheeran performing with his loop pedal at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2022, during his Mathematics Tour. The same footage was published online years before the current controversy, including in connection with Sheeran’s documentary.

The suggestion that Sheeran has been performing entirely alone is also misleading.

At his Philadelphia show, Sheeran did begin the concert without any opening act. But he later performed with other musicians, after his backing band, Beoga, withdrew from the tour in support of Macklemore. Sheeran addressed the change on stage, explaining that he had brought in musicians he had worked with previously.

The supporting acts who have withdrawn include Danish band Lukas Graham, Irish singer Aaron Rowe and Finneas, the brother of Billie Eilish, who was due to perform during the South American leg. The artists have cited support for Macklemore and Palestinians as reasons for exiting the tour.