Macklemore donates $1 million salary to Palestinians, urges Pats owner to match [UPDATED]

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was instrumental in Macklemore's firing from the Ed Sheeran tour.

By Dennis Perkins  |  September 16, 2026 | 8:53pm
Screenshot: Apple Music/YouTube
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Macklemore donates $1 million salary to Palestinians, urges Pats owner to match [UPDATED]

Macklemore put his money where his mouth is on Wednesday, as the “Same Love” singer announced via Instagram that he would be donating his entire one million dollar salary as Ed Sheeran’s opener to six Palestinian relief organizations. The rapper was dropped from the tour on Monday after pressure from owners of several venues where he and Sheeran were scheduled to perform, reportedly at the strong urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Billionaire Kraft, a strong supporter of Israel and owner of Pats’ home Gillette Stadium, objected to Macklemore using his stage time to make a statement at MetLife Stadium in support of those in Gaza being killed in what the UN has termed a genocide. 

According to an immediately backfiring statement of non-support by Sheeran for his suddenly unemployed tour-mate, it was Kraft who rallied his fellow venue owners to pressure Sheeran into dropping Macklemore from the tour. In the wake of his firing, Macklemore has received massive support, not only from literally every other musician associated with Sheeran’s tour, but from similarly NFL-blackballed former QB Colin Kaepernick, who called Kraft’s actions the same sort of collusion that scuttled his promising football career after the former 49ers star spoke out during the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

Macklemore, meanwhile, has now backed up his claim that he took the opener gig partly in order to bring attention to the plight of a besieged and suffering people. In his statement, the singer said of his very long few days, “With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.” 

To that end, Macklemore added, “I will be donating the entire $1 million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people. And, addressing Kraft directly, the rapper added, “And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth.”

According to reports, the organizations splitting that million dollar donation will be the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, American Near East Refugee Aid, HEAL Palestine, Medical Aid for Palestinians,  Gaza Soup Kitchen and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Whether or not Kraft, who accused Macklemore’s initial statement citing the dignity and rights of an oppressed people as “antisemitism,” will take the rapper up on his public call to charity currently remains to be seen. The fact that neither Kraft nor his fellow stadium gatekeepers have seen fit to withdraw their invites for a guy who put out that Hitler song just last year doesn’t bode especially well, however.

[Updated 9:21 p.m.]

Robert Kraft, in seeming response to Macklemore’s humanitarian challenge, put out a statement on a Twitter/X claiming that not only is he donating $2 million to “aid in the area,” and that “all lives are worth protecting,” but that Ed Sheeran is matching his donation. And also that Kraft thought of it first anyway. He also claimed that Sheeran is reaching out “to the other venue owners” (presumably the ones who also pressured the singer to ditch Macklemore) in order “to build bridges.” No word yet exactly which organizations would be getting this donation, or what bridges are currently being built. 

 
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