Robert Kraft barred Macklemore from appearing at the Boston shows at Gillette Stadium.
Posted by Behind the Bastards, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 95%
Behind the BastardsOct 3, 2026
Multiple reliable outlets, including AP and Reuters, report that Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, barred Macklemore from appearing at the Boston-area Sheeran shows there, and Kraft confirmed this in a statement to Rolling Stone and ESPN.
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What was said
… deeply frightening stuff in there, at least for Robert Kraft, the pro israel billionaire owner of the New England Patriots football team and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, near Boston, where Mclamore was set to appear on tour with Sheeran. Craft was not happy with Mcelmore's support of Palestinian equal rights on stage, and he confirmed to Rolling Stone that he barred Mcelmore from appearing at the Boston shows over, quote, "recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran's shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community. …
Behind the Bastards · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP reports that Gillette Stadium, owned by Robert Kraft, was among the venues that would not allow Macklemore on the lineup, and that Kraft said the decision followed Macklemore's comments.[1]
Supports. Reuters reports that Kraft said he had barred Macklemore from appearing at Gillette Stadium for antisemitism, which the rapper denies.[2]
Supports. Rolling Stone and ESPN quote Kraft's own statement confirming he made the decision to bar Macklemore from opening for Sheeran at Gillette Stadium, citing pro-Palestinian remarks and a history of antisemitic rhetoric.[3][4]
Context. Macklemore said Kraft rallied other stadium owners and that the promoter dropped him, while Sheeran said the promoter made the decision; sources differ on who set the removal in motion, but they agree Kraft barred him from Gillette.[5][6][7]
Sources
7 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 5 not rated
- 1Macklemore is dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour over pro-Palestinian comments onstageapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Mural of rapper Macklemore painted in Gaza after Sheeran ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Robert Kraft Confirms He Barred Macklemore From Ed Sheeran Boston Showsau.rollingstone.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Patriots' Kraft says Macklemore performance would cross lineespn.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Macklemore says Robert Kraft barred him from playing ...bostonglobe.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 6Macklemore removed from Ed Sheeran's stadium tour after ...boston25news.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 7Ed Sheeran tour continues to attract controversy following ...ctpublic.org · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Robert Kraft stated that Macklemore's history made him unfit to perform at Gillette Stadium.True
- Robert Kraft stated he did not want Macklemore to perform at Gillette Stadium because he was offended by the political content of Macklemore's speech regarding Palestine.Mixed
- Robert Kraft stated he barred Macklemore due to recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran's shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery.True
- Ed Sheeran stated that Robert Kraft rallied other stadium owners with an ultimatum that if Macklemore stayed on the tour, they would not be allowed to play in those venues.Can’t tell
- Macklemore has been dropped from the Ed Sheeran tour.True