Ed Sheeran suffers huge new blow following Macklemore controversy

Ed Sheeran’s backlash after Macklemore was kicked off his Loop Tour has continued, as the singer has since lost something else, and it’s not monetary.

The British superstar has seen a lot of different reactions to his tour, and that of his tour promoter ever since the removal of tour opener Macklemore led to outrage.

The US rapper found himself dropped from upcoming gigs after he made pro-Palestinian speeches on stage during a September 4 performance.

The 'Thinking Out Loud' singer went on to release his own statement regarding the controversial decision to have Macklemore removed, which also saw his other supporting acts choose to leave the tour in solidarity.

Macklemore was kicked off the Loop Tour for his remarks about Palestine (Photo by ARNAUD FINISTRE / AFP via Getty Images)

It’s estimated that Sheeran could have lost a lot of money if he chose to cancel the rest of his tour dates, but also because of his supporting act loss too.

But now, he’s also seen a huge dip in fans, as the singer has since lost nearly 500,000 Instagram followers.

Previously, Sheeran’s account sat at 47.6 million followers but now has 47.2 million people still sticking with him.

Aside from his fanbase, the singer also recently revealed he has faced a tough time with his immediate support – his family.

“In these situations you really find out who your friends are. It’s been a weird week,” he tearfully told the crowd during his September 19 date in Philadelphia.

“It happened very quickly. At the same time, I had so many people telling me to cancel this tour and so many people I’ve known for years and years and years they’re kind of backing away.”

“I look at the end of the week and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me,” he said. “People will say what they want, but I am doing this for you. I love you. I love this.”

Ed Sheeran has lost nearly half a million followers (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty Images)

"I've had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry," he said at the show, because telling fans the major security update he had to do in light of the backlash – such as removing his B-stage.

"I didn't know what this audience would be like. I didn't know if I would have things thrown at me," he said.

He added: "I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle. And I will admit that."

Sheeran continued: "I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet."

The star went on to admit: "I really didn’t know if this tour would be carrying on.

"I really didn’t know whether I’d even be getting on stage again, whether I even wanted to be an artist at all. In these situations, you really find out who your friends are."