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Charli xcx’s Music, Fashion, Film Tour in New York: 5 Best Moments
Andrew Unterberger (15/09/2026)
The much-anticipated new trek stopped for its first of two nights at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Monday (Sept. 14)
“Thank you for selling this b–ch out,” Charli xcx thanked the Barclays Center crowd on Monday night (Sept. 14). Certainly, Brooklyn made for relatively safe early territory for the alt-pop star’s latest arena trek, as few other areas in the country are more likely to intuitively grasp the combined garage rock, dingy dancefloor and high art energy that comprises Charli’s Music, Fashion, Film era.
Considering that the last time she came through Barclays was on the Brat Tour in 2025 — after visiting Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden on the Sweat co-headlining tour with Troye Sivan in 2024 — it’s not surprising that the Music, Fashion, Film Tour felt like a little less of a pop culture event, without the rush of the world’s eyes being on the scene inside the arena in quite the same way. But the overall experience might have been richer, with Charli now able to mix her grungy confessionals with her self-aware club anthems and her twinkling hyperpop gems in a way that reveals them to all be coming from basically the same place, and sounding pretty dynamite when stacked back-to-back in a brilliantly designed live set.
The Music, Fashion, Film Tour so far closely follows the live set Charli debuted at a number of festival dates — most prominently Chicago’s Lollapalooza in late July — but also makes room for a number of additional songs, as well as the odd special guest or two. (Underscores also quickly proved an inspired choice of stateside opener, with her future-forward pop songs, full-bodied delivery and impressive emotional connection doing Charli’s legacy in advanced modern pop proud.)
Charli herself kept the banter to a minimum on Monday, mostly letting the songs (and her flailing dance moves) speak for themselves — with additional emotional support from her phalanxes of backing dancers and live backing band. It all added up to a a high-point performance from a pop star who functions just as naturally as a club kid and underground rocker, with all of her personas feeding into one singularly iconic presence in contemporary music: “It’s Charli, babyyyyy…“
Here were the five best moments from Charli’s first New York-area show of her Music, Fashion, Film Tour.
‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Wins at 2026 Primetime Emmys: ‘Widow’s Bay,’ Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime & More Big Winners
Paul Grein (15/09/2026)
Widow's Bay broke records in comedy. Reba McEntire and Noah Kahan performed.
Late Night With Stephen Colbert went out in style, winning outstanding variety series at the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which were presented at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Monday (Sept. 14). The show won a total of six Emmys for its final season, the most it ever won in any one season.
Widow’s Bay won a total of 14 Primetime Emmys, setting new records for the most wins in a single season by a comedy series, and most wins in a freshman season by a comedy series. It tops The Studio, which set new records in both categories with 13 wins last year.
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Widow’s Bay was the top award recipient this year across the three nights of the Primetime Emmys. Runners-up were The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny, DTF St. Louis, The Pitt and The Traitors, each of which won seven awards.
Mariska Hargitay hosted the show, becoming the first woman to host the show in 15 years. She opened with “I Love TV Screens,” a parody version of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock ’N Roll,” a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks in 1982. The spot featured cameos by basketball star Jalen Brunson, Jennifer Coolidge and Jean Smart.
Later in the show, she did a parody version of Supertramp’s “Goodbye Stranger,” a No. 15 hit on the Hot 100 in 1979, in which she saluted the many shows that are ending their runs this year.
Hargitay and the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit performed a clever sketch, which spoofed Taylor Swift fans’ obsessive search for clues about her next moves. Swift, a friend of Hargitay, made a fun cameo appearance in the sketch.
Sally Field and Reba McEntire paid tribute to Dolly Parton, who died three weeks ago.
Noah Kahan performed Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in the In Memoriam spot.
Colbert’s show had won outstanding talk series in 2025, soon after its cancellation was announced. This year it won in the outstanding variety series category that Colbert had won twice (2013-14) with The Colbert Report, his previous show on Comedy Central, and that Late Show With David Letterman won six times (1994 and 1998-2002).
Beginning this year, the Television Academy combined outstanding scripted variety series and outstanding talk series into a single category: outstanding variety series. The academy also converted it to what they call “an area award,” which means the nominees aren’t directly competing against each other. Instead, voters answer one question for each nominated show: “Does this nominee merit an Emmy?” Any series that receives at least 90% “yes” votes is awarded an Emmy. (If no nominee meets that threshold, the show with the highest approval percentage takes the trophy.) So, all five nominees could have won – or as few as one, which is what transpired this year.
The other nominees in the category were The Daily Show (Comedy Central), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC), Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO) and Saturday Night Live (NBC). Three of these shows had won an outstanding series award in the past. The only one that hadn’t previously won is Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which has now gone 0-15 in the category.
“Thank you so much on behalf of the over 200 people who threw themselves at this show for 11 years to try to do the best show they possibly could for you,” Colbert said upon winning the award. “… I want to thank so many people in this room. Over the last 21 years, I’ve interviewed at least 1,000 of you. Thank you for coming on to talk to this idiot. I want you to know that you were the perfect guest. The segment went great, and I’m sorry I forgot to play your clip.
“But of course, there can only be one favorite guest, and that is my wife, Evelyn McGee, thank you, darling. … And I want to say to the audience, thank you so much for watching. We hope you enjoyed the show. We had a great time doing it for you. That’s it. Thank you. We’ll catch you all on the flip.”
Early in the telecast, Jean Smart (Hacks) and Allison Janney (The Diplomat) each won their eighth Primetime Emmys as performers, moving into a tie with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the most Emmy wins in performing/acting categories.
Matthew Rhys became the first person to win outstanding lead actor honors in two fields: comedy series (Widow’s Bay) and limited or anthology series or movie (The Beast in Me).
Notably, a series in its first season has won outstanding comedy series in three of the past four years. The Bear won in 2023, preceding these back-to-back wins for The Studio and Widow’s Bay.
The Traitors won outstanding reality competition program for the third year in a row. It’s the first show to win three times in a row in this category since RuPaul’s Drag Race won four in a row from 2018-21.
The Pitt is the first show to take best drama series in each of its first two seasons since Mad Men, which won in each of its first four seasons.
There were cast reunions to honor Buffy, the Vampire Slayer; Baywatch; and Charlie’s Angels. Of these three shows, only Buffy won an Emmy during its run. Baywatch was never even nominated.
Programs that won multiple awards across the three nights of the 2026 Primetime Emmys:
Widow’s Bay, 14
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny, 7
DTF St. Louis, 7
The Pitt, 7
The Traitors, 7
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, 6
Pluribus, 6
Spider-Noir, 5
The Muppet Show, 4
Beef, 3
Love on the Spectrum, 3
Margo’s Got Money Troubles, 3
Palm Royale, 3
The Beast In Me, 2
Bridgerton, 2
Fallout, 2
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, 2
Hacks 2
My Mom Jayne: A Film By Mariska Hargitay 2
Ocean With David Attenborough 2
Remarkably Bright Creatures 2
Individuals that won multiple awards across the three nights of the 2026 Primetime Emmys:
Stephen T. Colbert, 3, executive producer, host, writer
Steven Conrad, 3, director, executive producer, writer
Judah Getz, 3, ADR mixer
Matthew Rhys, 3, actor, executive producer
Larry Benjamin, 2, re-recording mixer
Michael Brumm, 2, producer, writer
Aaron Cohen, 2, supervising producer, writer
Alan Cumming, 2, executive producer, host
Paul Dinello, 2, supervising producer, writer
Katie Dippold, 2, executive producer, writer
Ariel Dumas, 2, head writer, supervising producer
Gabe Gronli, 2, producer, writer
David Harbour, 2, actor, executive producer
Mariska Hargitay, 2, director, producer
Tim Hoogenakker, 2, re-recording mixer
Barry Julien, 2, co-executive producer, writer
Jay Katsir, 2, head writer, supervising producer
Matt Lappin, 2, co-executive producer, writer
Opus Moreschi, 2, co-executive producer, writer
Hiro Murai, 2, director, executive producer
Cian O’Clery, 2, casting by, executive producer
Denise Pizzini, 2, production designer
Dave Porter, 2, composer, scoring mixer
Tom Purcell, 2, executive producer, writer
Albertina Rizzo, 2, executive producer, writer
Christian Sprenger, 2, director of photography, producer
Noah Wyle, 2, actor, executive producer
Quinta Brunson, Shabana Azeez Say Which Concerts Their Characters Would Go To At Emmys Red Carpet | Emmys Red Carpet 2026
Stefanie Tanaka (15/09/2026)
‘Abbott Elementary’ star Quinta Brunson, ‘The Pitt’ Shabana Azeez and more share which concerts their characters would attend if they could on the 2026 Emmys red carpet.
‘Abbott Elementary’ star Quinta Brunson, ‘The Pitt’ Shabana Azeez and more share which concerts their characters would attend if they could on the 2026 Emmys red carpet.
Noah Kahan Offers a ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ for Tearful ‘In Memoriam’ Segment at 2026 Emmys
Katie Atkinson (15/09/2026)
Kahan's performance was introduced by the movie & TV children of the late Catherine O'Hara.
Noah Kahan soundtracked an especially emotional “in memoriam” segment at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday night (Sept. 14), which was introduced by the movie and TV children of late actress Catherine O’Hara.
Home Alone star Macauley Culkin tearfully remembered how O’Hara showed up for him in life just like a real parent would after first portraying his mother in the 1990 Christmas classic. Then Schitt’s Creek stars Annie Murphy and Dan Levy both shared joyful memories of O’Hara on set as their quirky mother in the 2015-20 television comedy as well as sweet recollections of how strangers rallied around them in the wake of her death at age 71 in January.
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Following their intro, Kahan took the stage to perform Simon & Garfunkel‘s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” playing acoustic guitar and backed by a mournful string section. The folk duo’s 1970 six-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit has long soundtracked poignant moments, thanks to its sad-but-hopeful lyrics: “When darkness comes and pain is all around/ Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.”
Once Kahan finished his performance, Jamie Lee Curtis took the stage to pay tribute to Rob Reiner, the actor/director who first made a name for himself playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family and was tragically murdered alongside his wife, Michelle, in December. Curtis sobbed throughout her remembrance to the Hollywood legend. “He was generous and kind and funny as hell and a friend to all.”
Earlier in the Emmys broadcast, there was a stand-alone tribute to Dolly Parton, who died last month of cancer at age 80. Sally Field, who co-starred with Parton in Steel Magnolias, introduced the tribute and Reba McEntire performed “Appalachian Memories.”
Dolly Parton Remembered by Reba McEntire & Sally Field on 2026 Emmys: ‘I Never Stopped Loving Her’
Paul Grein (15/09/2026)
Parton received her first Primetime Emmy nod 48 years ago as a guest on a Cher special.
There will doubtless be tributes to Dolly Parton on many upcoming awards shows – the CMA Awards, the ACM Awards, the Grammys and the Oscars, to name a few. But the Primetime Emmys, airing on Monday (Sept. 14) — just three weeks after Parton died of cancer at age 80 — were the first.
Sally Field, who co-starred with Parton in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, presented the tribute, which featured a performance by Parton’s longtime friend, Reba McEntire.
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The spot was extremely well-produced, though it didn’t mention that Parton first rose to prominence in 1967 on a TV program, The Porter Wagoner Show, or that she soared to stardom in the late 1970s with winning appearances on such programs as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, or that she won a Primetime Emmy five years ago.
“If there are truly angels on Earth, then we just lost one, Dolly Parton,” Field said. “It was my great good fortune to have worked with Dolly in a film called Steel Magnolias, and over the years, I never stopped loving her. Though we lived very far apart, I adored her from day one. How could you not? She was genuine and humble, supportive, and blisteringly funny, with a bawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide. I couldn’t see then what a real giant Dolly was – not just as an artist, but as a human. She was a humanitarian whose contributions had made a profound difference in the lives of so many in her home state of Tennessee and across our country. God bless you, Dolly Parton, my friend. I am not the only one on earth that will love you forever and ever.”
The show then aired a clip of Parton performing in 1983. “I’m very very proud of the fact that I had the kind of parents that I did and grew up in the Smoky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, and I’ve written a song that touches me very deep, and I’m sure that in your own way, that you certainly will relate to this. This song, like I say, is very important to me, and I hope you like it. And if you don’t like it, well, if you don’t mind, I would rather not hear about it later. OK? It’s a song that I call ‘Appalachian Memories.’”
Parton included the song on her 1983 album Burlap & Satin. The song wasn’t a hit, even on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart, but it was a great choice here because it meant a lot to Parton. And it showed the depth of her catalog.
McEntire performed it live, with her characteristic class and warmth. “I love you, Dolly, so much,” she said at the end of her performance.
Parton won a Primetime Emmy five years ago as executive producer of Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square, which was voted outstanding television movie. She received her first Primetime Emmy nod 48 years ago as a guest on Cher’s ABC special, Cher … Special. She received three more nominations as executive producer of the specials Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love (2017), Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones (2020) and Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas (2023), all of which were nominated for outstanding television movie.
The segment saluting Parton aired prior to the annual In Memoriam segment, which included a Noah Kahan performance.
Taylor Swift Cheers On Husband Travis Kelce at Chiefs’ Home Opener Against Broncos, With Tom Cruise by Her Side
Katie Atkinson (15/09/2026)
Swift & Cruise even shared a hug when the Chiefs scored a touchdown to take the lead.
She might not have been at the Emmy Awards on Monday night (Sept. 14), but Taylor Swift was still on our TV screens thanks to Monday Night Football.
Swift opted to attend husband Travis Kelce’s season-opening Kansas City Chiefs game against the Denver Broncos. She was joined by her mom Andrea, dad Scott and brother Austin in the suite, as well as her newly minted in-laws, Donna and Ed Kelce, and a surprise face: Tom Cruise.
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The blockbuster actor sat next to Swift in the suite and was spotted during the broadcast chatting up the pop superstar and even sharing a hug to celebrate a Chiefs touchdown. Cruise is clearly a friend of newlyweds Swift and Kelce, as he was in attendance at their July 3 nuptials, according to post-wedding anecdotes from sportscasters Joe Buck and Greg Olsen.
While we haven’t yet gotten a full look at Swift’s game day outfit, online fashion sleuths have already pinpointed that she’s wearing the red-and-white gingham polo dress from Guest in Residence based on the brief glimpse we’ve gotten on TV. The instantly in-demand dress appears to already be sold out in Swift’s color scheme.
While Swift chose the Chiefs/Broncos game over Monday’s Emmys, she did pre-tape a Law & Order: SVU sketch with her longtime friend Mariska Hargitay, who hosted the awards show. The sketch was all about decoding whether Swift would attend the show — seeing as she was nominated this year for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded), among five nominations for Disney+’s Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show; The Muppet Show special starring Sabrina Carpenter took the prize instead.
Taylor Swift Makes Surprise Emmys Cameo to Unpack Swiftie-Coded Easter Eggs With Detective Olivia Benson
Katie Atkinson (15/09/2026)
Emmys host Mariska Hargitay also co-starred with her feline namesake, Swift's cat Olivia Benson, in the Law & Order: SVU spoof.
Taylor Swift’s Law & Order: SVU dreams all came true Monday night (Sept. 14), as she and her cat Olivia Benson co-starred alongside the original Olivia Benson in a surprise Emmys sketch.
Hilariously, the premise of the sketch — which saw Emmys host Mariska Hargitay embodying the role she’s played for 27 seasons on the NBC crime drama — was whether or not Swift would be attending that night’s 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards.
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Hargitay and her SVU co-stars — including rapper-turned-actor Ice-T as Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola — all gathered around an elaborate evidence board connected by pushpins and strings making increasingly outlandish connections between the night’s nominated television shows and Swift’s musical universe.
All of a sudden, Swift emerged wearing her best detective suit to let the group know: “Hey guys, this isn’t adding up.” After Ice-T let the “rookie” speak, Swift said the answer might be hiding in plain sight and rattled off four clues that are sure to send Swifties into a tizzy: “Saccharide. Aries. From the Vineyard. North or South.”
“This rookie’s weird,” Ice-T responded.
Swift regained her composure and came to this conclusion: Her category came up during the first two nights of the Emmys last weekend, so why would she attend Monday’s show? Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show was nominated for five Emmys this year, while Swift herself was up for one: outstanding variety special (pre-recorded), which ended up going to The Muppet Show.
Then came the real answer: Swift’s husband Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates were playing the Denver Broncos at the exact same time on Monday Night Football. “OK then she’s not gonna be there, ’cause her husband’s got a work thing,” chimes in Aimé Donna Kelly as Captain Renee Curry.
And that was the correct answer: Swift could be seen sharing a suite with Tom Cruise at the Chiefs’ home opening game on Monday night.
Below, watch the full surprise sketch:
IFPI Launches Initiative to Combat Streaming Fraud
Kristin Robinson (15/09/2026)
Supported by AWAL, CD Baby, ADA, Symphonic and more, the "Streaming Integrity Initiative" sets new standards for streaming fraud prevention.
The IFPI, the international trade body that represents the recorded music business, has launched a new initiative through which participants commit to baseline practices to prevent, detect and respond to streaming fraud.
Dubbed the “Streaming Integrity Initiative,” or SII, it has so far been supported by Absolute Label Services, ADA, AWAL, CD Baby, CmdShft, Ditto Music, FUGA, GoDigital, HYBE, IDOL, IMPALA, InnerCat Music Group, Merlin, Redeye, Revelator, RouteNote, Secretly Distribution, Symphonic, Sony Music Group, The Orchard, Too Lost, Universal Music Group, Virgin Music Group and Warner Music Group. Notably, the largest DIY music distributor, Distrokid, has not yet signed on.
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To be part of SII, participants sign on to five core commitments, including:
- Know Your Customer (KYC) checks to “verify rights ownership and customer identities through robust rights verification”
- Content vetting “using effective tools and processes to identify infringement, fraudulent activity and AI-related risks”
- Detection, investigation and mitigation of suspected fraud, including repeat offenders
- Intelligence sharing, where legally permitted, to prevent offenders from jumping from service-to-service
- Continuously strengthening and measuring anti-fraud systems to address evolving threats
SII is the latest move by the recorded music industry to get a handle on the persistent issue of streaming fraud, or the manipulation of digital service providers (DSPs) to siphon royalties from plays that are not from genuine fans. Experts say that the problem is significant, costing artists and platforms hundreds of millions, or even billions, each year — and as AI makes it easier than ever to perform these schemes, it’s become a hot topic.
In recent years, Trust and Safety, a symposium run by by Music Business Association, was formed for the express purpose of educating the music establishment about the issue. Two years ago, a coalition of industry players formed the Music Fights Fraud Alliance (MFFA) in the U.S. to band together distributors and streaming services and establish a way to share data and coordinate anti-fraud efforts. A representative for SII says that while the initiative liases closely with the MFFA, it is not directly connected.
SII is part of a wider campaign from the IFPI called End Streaming Fraud that aims to raise awareness for the issue. According to French streaming service Deezer, the problem is deeply tied to the rise of generative AI music online: The service reported earlier this year that up to 80% of streams on AI songs are artificial. The development of agentic AI also poses a threat, allowing bad actors to more easily scale illegal bot farms.
“Streaming fraud misleads fans and deprives legitimate artists and songwriters of income that should rightfully flow to them,” Victoria Oakley, CEO of IFPI, said in a statement. “This is theft, plain and simple. We welcome the leadership shown by the first distributors to publicly support the Streaming Integrity Initiative, and hope this leads to direct, effective and coordinated action to protect artists, songwriters and fans from streaming fraud.”
“Tackling illegitimate activity effectively requires every part of the industry to move together,” added Sarah McNabb, Merlin’s director of content integrity. “These commitments reflect Merlin’s own position and align closely with what Merlin already requires of its members. It’s encouraging to see so many of our members already putting their names to this announcement, and we’re glad to stand alongside IFPI in this initiative as it continues to grow.”
Helen Smith, IMPALA’s executive chair, said: “IMPALA’s Digital Music Plan adopted earlier this year set out our recommendations for growing the market and identified industry collaboration on a new scale as a top priority. With recommendations for DSPs and labels as well as distributors, working together on integrity, promoting human artistry and other key aspects across the whole chain is vital.”
Lil Wayne Calls Out Refs After Green Bay Packers Loss: ‘I’m Out on the NFL This Year’
Michael Saponara (15/09/2026)
"Fake af I can’t respect the game when the refs can’t ref the game," Weezy wrote on X.
After just one game, Lil Wayne says he’s already done with the NFL for the 2026 season.
Weezy vented on X about what he feels was unfair officiating that led to the Green Bay Packers’ loss against their NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
“Refs in Minnesota game pure p—y,” Wayne wrote. “Fake af I can’t respect the game when the refs can’t ref the game. I’m out on the NFL this year. Wish for it to be an amazing season for all. My Di- too big for short comings and this sux.”
The Packers blew a 22-10 lead and gave up 29 unanswered points in to finish the game in what became a 39-22 loss to Carson Wentz and the Vikings.
Wayne was frustrated by penalties called against GB that erased turnovers for the Packers and led to points for the Vikings, which continued to fuel Minnesota’s comeback.
In August, Lil Wayne teamed up with his beloved Packers to unveil the team’s Rivalries uniform for the 2026 season. Weezy crafted a new cheesehead-themed track for the ad, which is titled “Special Ops” and a full version landed on streaming services on Aug. 28.
It remains to be seen if Lil Wayne was caught up in a heated moment of frustration or if the New Orleans rap legend will be sticking to his guns and staying away from watching football this season.
With or without Wayne, the Green Bay Packers’ season continues with a week two match-up against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday (Sept. 20).
However, Weezy won’t be able to avoid professional athletics entirely as he hosts a weekly podcast with sports radio personality Craig Carton, which is titled The Joint Venture.
Find Lil Wayne’s full rant about the Packers game below.
Ms. Rachel, Kehlani, MUNA & More Push Back After Macklemore’s Removal From Ed Sheeran Tour: ‘We All Need to Speak On It’
Alicia Urrea (15/09/2026)
Artists & public figures are speaking out after Macklemore was removed from Sheeran's Loop Tour following his onstage call to "Free Palestine."
A collection of artists and public figures are speaking out after Macklemore‘s removal from Ed Sheeran‘s U.S. tour.
Following the rapper revealing Monday (Sept. 14) that he had been dropped from the remainder of Sheeran’s Loop Tour following his repeated onstage calls to “Free Palestine,” a number of people have rallied behind him.
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The controversy began after Macklemore used his opening set at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month to call for the liberation of Palestine, telling the crowd that he wanted the words “Free Palestine” to reach people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. His comments prompted backlash and a petition calling for him to be removed from the tour.
On Monday, Messina Touring Group, the promoter of Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, confirmed that venues on upcoming dates would not allow concerts to proceed with Macklemore on the lineup, saying that keeping him on the bill could result in cancellations affecting hundreds of thousands of fans. Macklemore subsequently shared his own account of what led to the decision, alleging that Robert Kraft had pressured Sheeran over his participation and that other stadium owners joined in the ultimatum.
For Macklemore, however, the controversy isn’t about losing a handful of opening spots on a tour. In his Instagram statement, he argued that the attention should remain on Palestinians living through the war in Gaza and the West Bank.” “I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim,” he wrote. “The victims are the Palestinian people.”
That message quickly found its echoes throughout the music business and beyond.
Ms. Rachel, the children’s educator and YouTube star known for her preschool programming, shared an Instagram post addressed to Sheeran, arguing that the singer had an opportunity to stand against the punishment of artists for expressing support for Palestinians.
“Ed Sheeran had an opportunity [to] show that we won’t be bullied into punishing people for supporting Palestine,” she wrote. “Instead he caved to people who refuse to accept what the world knows. A genocide is happening in Gaza. We all need to speak on it.”
In the caption accompanying the post, Ms. Rachel took the argument one step further, focusing on the children affected by the conflict. “If more than 20,000 white children were killed in another part of the world, everyone would be shouting about it at their concerts,” she wrote. “Treating some children’s lives as less worthy of outage is racist. Silence during a genocide is not neutral.”
The rock band Garbage were similarly blunt in their statement regarding the situation as well. The band shared a screenshot of a Rolling Stone headline reporting Macklemore’s removal, captioning it, “This is madness. Sheer madness.” The group called the decision “so wildly unjust” and defended Macklemore’s comments as neither violent nor hateful.
Garbage also pushed back against the idea that criticizing Israel or calling for Palestinian rights is inherently antisemitic, arguing that Macklemore was being punished for speaking about the treatment of Palestinians rather than expressing hatred toward Jewish people. “Macklemore’s words were not antisemitic,” the band wrote. “Yet he is being punished for simple pleading for the occupation, the oppression and the violence to stop.”
MUNA also weighed in, reposting Rolling Stone‘s Instagram coverage of the news. “Everyone involved in the move to silence free speech about a genocide is utterly pathetic,” the group wrote, adding, “Solidarity with @macklemore.”
R&B star Kehlani also showed her support, commenting a personal message beneath Macklemore’s Instagram statement. “A LOT of venues / owners are rallied together this way,” she commented. “Honored to know you brother. Adore you. Behind you!!!!”
Macklemore made clear that despite his disagreement with Sheeran, he does not view their 13-year friendship as over. He described Sheeran as a friend and “brother” and said he hoped they would continue talking about the issue.
The Loop Tour is scheduled to resume Saturday in Philadelphia without Macklemore. Sheeran has not publicly responded to Macklemore’s statement or the wave of reactions that followed his removal.
Read Macklemore’s full Instagram statement below.
