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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/21\/opinion\/ed-sheeran-macklemore-politics.html?emc=edit_nn_20260921&nl=the-morning&segment_id=226815",
    "parsed_content": "AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTOpinionSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTGuest EssayWhen Political Reality Collides With Ed SheeranSept. 21, 2026, 5:04 a.m. ETCredit...Illustration by The New York TimesListen \u00b7 8:17 min Share full articleBy Roxane GayMs. Gay, a contributing Opinion writer, is an author.See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google Ed Sheeran is one of the most popular musicians in the world. He sells millions upon millions of albums, has among his peers some of the most streamed music, and makes reliable hits that appeal to almost everyone. Sonically, he often positions himself as a citizen of the world, a musical explorer. There are Persian influences in \u201cAzizam,\u201d which translates as \u201cmy beloved.\u201d \u201cSapphire\u201d features Punjabi beats and is included on his studio album \u201cPlay\u201d that features several Indian musicians.What Mr. Sheeran wants, it seems, is to make his music and perform around the world, earning incredible amounts of money, in peace. While doing so, he appears to also want to blithely ignore most of the global conflicts that might be affecting his audience in spite of his eagerness to create a pastiche of global sound in his music. At least that\u2019s the impression he gives based on how he initally responded to the rapper Macklemore being dropped as one of his Loop tour\u2019s opening acts.At two performances in early September, Macklemore spoke up about Palestine, ending the genocide and the staggering loss of life in Gaza. For the past few years, he has been very vocal in his support of Palestinians and when given the opportunity to speak before the huge audiences of a major tour, he made the most of it.Stadium owners immediately sprang into action, using among other things their immense wealth as a cudgel to bring Macklemore to heel and send a clear warning to anyone else who might dare to declare support for the Palestinians. The rapper was kicked off the Sheeran tour after Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, said Mr. Sheeran would not be able to perform at Gillette Stadium if Macklemore was still part of the lineup. It\u2019s the stuff of cartoon villainy.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMacklemore made an eloquent public statement about being dropped and soon after, the other opening acts and Mr. Sheeran\u2019s backing band left the tour in solidarity. Mr. Sheeran, for his part, said in a statement that it wasn\u2019t his decision to remove Macklemore, but the decision of the venue owners and tour promoter: \u201cI am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t have them, and it doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t care.\u201dSign up for the Opinion Today newsletter Get expert analysis of the news and a guide to the big ideas shaping the world every weekday morning. Get it sent to your inbox.Celebrities often demur when asked to share their political opinions. In these situations, the breadth of what is deemed political is wide-ranging: anything that might affect their brand, public image, earning potential, reputation or legacy. Celebrities will say they aren\u2019t interested in politics or they don\u2019t \u201cdo\u201d politics or they don\u2019t talk about politics. They are all about their work, nothing more. If they remain neutral (silent), they won\u2019t offend anyone and they will, hopefully, appeal to everyone. They use the facade of neutrality as shelter, as a place to take refuge.In his original statement, Mr. Sheeran added that his fans don\u2019t come to his concerts for a \u201cpolitical forum,\u201d which was simply expanding the geography of his refuge. What could he do? He is merely a servant, subject to the desires of his audience.The statement was as tepid and indistinct as his music. He used vagueness and ambiguity so people could read into his words what they wanted to hear. Maybe, privately, he really was a passionate advocate for the Palestinians. Maybe he really did, privately, believe Israel was not committing genocide.Mr. Sheeran had previously implied that he has a right to privacy when it comes to his political views and that, though he is one of the most famous and high-earning musicians in the world, he has no power in this situation. The venues, the promoters, anyone but him is responsible for all that has come to pass.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTBut in Mr. Sheeran\u2019s case, there was a previous exception: Ukraine. In 2022, he performed at a fund-raiser for Ukraine and on more than one occasion he expressed solidarity with the war-torn country. He was political, it seemed, when he deemed it safe enough to be so. Otherwise, Mr. Sheeran used neutrality as a refuge for himself, but that refuge did not extend to his audience.He promised good music and a good time, no politics, even though after three hours, his fans would stream out of the stadium and return to their lives where they did not get to opt out of all of the problems politics creates \u2014 the immense emotional toll of so many civilians dying senseless deaths, not to mention high gas prices because of the war in Iran, inflation and stagnant wages.With some notable exceptions like Mark Ruffalo and Ms. Rachel, most public figures are unwilling to risk privilege and position or to demonstrate the courage of their convictions. In 2025, Pharrell Williams said: \u201cI hate politics. Like, despise them. It\u2019s a magic trick. It\u2019s not real. I don\u2019t believe in either side. Because I think when you pick a side, you are inadvertently supporting division.\u201d In a Times interview that same year, Jennifer Lawrence, who had been politically vocal previously, explained, \u201cI don\u2019t want to start turning people off to films and to art that could change consciousness or change the world because they don\u2019t like my political opinions.\u201d At the 2026 Berlin Film Festival, Wim Wenders said, of his fellow filmmakers, \u201cWe have to stay out of politics because if we make movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics but we are the counterweight of politics.\u201dWhen celebrities make these pronouncements, you have to wonder if they even understand politics. It\u2019s kind of delusional, this misguided notion that if prominent people stay politically silent, they will encourage unity rather than division, offering their neutrality as a \u201cWe Are the World\u201d for the modern age. This seems to be what Sheeran longs for.Celebrities are quite selective about acknowledging the influence they have on their audience. When it comes to politics and so many other matters of substance and urgency, they\u2019re just actors or musicians or athletes: Why would anyone care what they think? But when they go on a press junket for a project or serve as a product\u2019s spokesman or become a brand ambassador, they are crystal clear about their power, what it\u2019s worth, and how they should use it.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTIn some ways, I can understand their reluctance to make their political opinions known. Oftentimes, when they are asked where they stand on any given issue, the people asking are merely wanting the celebrity to affirm their own stances. If the celebrity doesn\u2019t, he or she is roundly criticized or, lately, canceled.In his statement, Macklemore made clear that he remains incredibly privileged, that the real victims in this situation are Palestinians. A lot of people are valorizing Macklemore and branding him as a leader in the Free Palestine movement. This is not the case. He is just one man with some reach and influence who is taking a stand no matter the consequences. It\u2019s noteworthy and even admirable because it happens so rarely.As for Sheeran, after days of intense public scrutiny and pressure, he reluctantly spoke about Gaza at his first concert since Macklemore was dropped from the tour. It appears he did so because the future of his tour was in question. In his remarks, Sheeran said that Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7 attacks in Israel were \u201chorrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain,\u201d and that \u201cwhat is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.\u201dHis heart is broken. He harbors so much empathy for the children. He would even go on to shed a few tears as if to punctuate his sincerity. Earlier in his preconcert speech he also noted that, \u201cI have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind, because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics.\u201d How unity would be possible without acknowledging politics is not something Sheeran, whose latest statement prioritizes his own feelings, resolves.This entire debacle is a stark reminder that opting out of taking political stands is, in and of itself, a political stand: a politics of self-interest.Source photographs, via Getty Images.The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We\u2019d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here\u2019s our email: letters@nytimes.com.Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp and Threads.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-21T09:04:37+00:00",
    "author_name": "Roxane Gay",
    "site_name": "The New York Times",
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    "ai_headline": "When Political Reality Collides With Ed Sheeran",
    "ai_simplified_title": "Roxane Gay criticizes Ed Sheeran's political neutrality",
    "ai_excerpt": "Roxane Gay critiques Ed Sheeran's stance on political neutrality following Macklemore's removal from his tour for speaking about Palestine. She argues that Sheeran's attempts to avoid politics are a form of self-interested political action, contrasting it with his past support for Ukraine.",
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