Kathy Griffin says British pop singer Ed Sheeran should have told Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft to “go fuck yourself” after rapper Macklemore was pulled from the tour over his anti-Israel rant on stage.
“I wish that Ed Sheeran had not taken the advice of the ones who told him to fire Macklemore,” Griffin said during a Wednesday appearance on Queerty.
“First of all, let’s not be listening to fucking Robert Kraft, okay?” the comedian continued.
“When Robert Kraft says, ‘I’ve called all the other stadium owners and they’re not gonna let you do the show with Macklemore either,’ then Ed Sheeran should’ve said, ‘Go fuck yourself, I can go to Brazil and perform for 250,000 people,’” Griffin added.
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The 65-year-old went on to assert that the “Shape of You” singer “had more options, and he is a true global artist, as is Macklemore.”
“So then it put Macklemore in the position of not wanting to really blame Ed because he knew the pressure he was under,” she added. “But in my humble opinion, Ed had more power than he was aware of. And I think he made a bad call on this.”
Griffin also declared that Macklemore’s remarks were protected under the First Amendment — a claim that may have revealed the comedian’s lack of understanding of the First Amendment, which limits government power, not private decision-making.
The Israeli-American Council (IAC) released a statement praising “Robert Kraft and his fellow stadium owners for their moral leadership in expelling rapper Macklemore from the concert stage rather than allow him to promote antisemitism.”
“Robert Kraft’s moral leadership establishes what should be an obvious principle: a performer who traffics in antisemitism should not be given a stage,” the IAC added. “As a result, Macklemore will no longer be allowed to subject audiences to his hateful rants.”
As Breitbart News reported, Sheeran has faced controversy in recent weeks after Macklemore was booted as the British pop singer’s opening act following an anti-Israel tirade on stage.
The “Castle on the Hill” singer, however, had explained that dropping Macklemore — who was scheduled to play eight more shows with Sheeran in the U.S. before he was axed — had been “the promoter’s decision,” not his.
Nonetheless, anti-Israel protesters decided to gather outside Gillette Stadium for Sheeran’s show. However, the plan went nowhere, as the “Perfect” singer’s Friday and Saturday concerts were canceled because of the approaching nor’easter.
Alana Mastrangelo-Wrask is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.