Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour over pro-Palestine comments onstage

Grammy-winning rapper Macklemore said Monday that he has been dropped from Ed Sheeran‘s tour over pro-Palestinian comments he made earlier this month onstage at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Macklemore said on Instagram that several U.S. venues told the promoter they would not allow him to perform as Sheeran’s opening act for the Loop tour.

As a result, he wrote that Sheeran’s team decided to remove him from the tour. That’s even though the rapper — best known for his breakout hit ‘Thrift Shop’ and the same-sex marriage anthem ‘Same Love’ — has been making similar comments about the plight of Palestinians for years .

“So why is it an issue now? Because I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America,” Macklemore wrote. “At a certain level of exposure, ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too much of a risk.”