YouTuber Ms Rachel takes swipe at Ed Sheeran following concert controversy as artists drop from tour

Beloved children’s educator and YouTube superstar Ms Rachel has publicly condemned Ed Sheeran after the singer dropped rapper Macklemore from his North American stadium tour over onstage remarks supporting Palestine.

The controversy erupted after Macklemore - who was opening for Sheeran’s Loop tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey - used his performance to deliver a passionate speech calling for a 'Free Palestine', and performed his protest track, 'Hind's Hall' against a backdrop of images depicting devastation in Gaza.

Following pushback from pro-Israel groups and reported pressure from stadium venue owners, tour promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed Macklemore had been removed from the remaining support dates to prevent venues from cancelling the shows entirely.

The decision has triggered severe fallout across the music industry, with multiple supporting acts - including Oscar and Grammy winner Finneas, singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, and Irish band Beoga - announcing they are withdrawing from Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore.

Now, Ms Rachel - real name Rachel Anne Accurso - has weighed in with an uncompromising statement on Instagram, taking aim directly at Sheeran for acquiescing to venue demands.

'We all need to speak out against it'

Sharing a text image to her platform, Accurso wrote: “Ed Sheeran had an opportunity show that we won't be bullied into punishing people for supporting Palestine. Instead he caved to people who refuse to accept what the world knows.

"A genocide is happening in Gaza. We all need to speak out against it."

In the post's accompanying caption, the educator, who has long used her massive online platform to advocate for children caught in conflict zones, doubled down on the disparity in public outcry.

“If more than 20,000 white children were killed in another part of the world, everyone would be shouting about it at their concerts,” Accurso stated. "Treating some children’s lives as less worthy of outrage is racist. Silence during a genocide is not neutral."

The viral creator's comments mirror points raised by Macklemore himself in a lengthy multi-page statement addressing his removal.

What has Macklemore said about the controversy?

The rapper revealed he had held a week of 'difficult conversations' with Sheeran, a close friend of 13 years, but noted that venue owners had issued an ultimatum threatening to shut down entire tour stops if he remained on the bill.

Macklemore specifically pointed to New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, claiming the billionaire had led efforts among venue owners to block him from performing.

Kraft subsequently defended the decision, citing concerns over antisemitic rhetoric and divisiveness.

"Ed was in a ****** up position. He knew it," he wrote on Instagram. "His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. He told me that the words 'Free Palestine' and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with.

'Refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle'

"I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn’t get past his public facing: I don’t take sides.

"And I get why people don’t. Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things. But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.

"When one side has the bombs and bottomless financial and military support from America, refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle."

Sheeran is yet to issue a direct public statement regarding Macklemore’s removal, or the subsequent wave of artist departures from his tour.