Pop star Pink addressed intense online backlash on Friday, September 11, 2026, after reposting a social media critique of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine stage remarks during an Ed Sheeran concert. Clarifying her political stance, the singer stated that Hamas is a terrorist organization while emphasizing her identity as a Jewish mother.
The MetJersey Stadium Speech That Ignited a Weeklong Backlash
The controversy began after Macklemore took to the stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, during an opening performance on Ed Sheeran’s North American tour. Wearing a keffiyeh and performing his protest track “Hind’s Hall” while violent images and Gaza footage played on the screens, the rapper addressed the thousands in the crowd.
Photo: usmagazine.com
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine. I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
Macklemore, Rapper
His remarks drew cheers from sections of the audience alongside reports of some attendees walking out, as noted by Rolling Stone. Amid the fallout, Pink shared a post from the StopAntisemitism account on her Instagram Stories that accused the rapper of spreading anti-Israel propaganda, prompting a heavy wave of criticism against her.
Pink Breaks Her Silence With a Lengthy Statement
After a week of silence, Pink issued a three-part statement across her Instagram feed and comment sections on Friday, September 11, 2026. She admitted that her initial method of reacting to the online hostility by posting snarky memes was flawed.
“Last Sunday I reposted somebody else’s post about Macklemore’s set at Ed Sheeran’s show. It said things in words I didn’t write, and I wouldn’t have chosen all of them. Then the comments came, and I did what I do when I’m hurt, which is post snarky memes and act like I’m fine. That’s on me. A repost isn’t a statement, and a meme isn’t a spine. Social media makes all of us cheap and fast, and we all know it. But I’d rather be disagreed with for what I actually said than hated for what anybody else wrote, so let me say it.”
Photo: aol.com
Pink, Singer-Songwriter
The singer reflected on her heritage and pushed back against assumptions made by commenters who labeled her politics. She noted that she was born Jewish and has never hidden it, expressing frustration that a repost and the word ‘Jew’ were apparently enough to fill in the rest for internet critics.
Elaborating on her geopolitical views, she reiterated positions she first shared in October 2023:
“Of course I don’t speak for Israel, or for any government. I never have. What I said in October 2023 is still exactly what I believe: Hamas is a terrorist organization. Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and their aspirations. Protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child. Anybody’s child.”
Pink, Singer-Songwriter
Reflecting on Past Precedents and the Meaning of Concert Safety
In her detailed breakdown, the pop star recalled Macklemore’s career history, contrasting his positive reception at past events like the Grammys with a 2014 incident where he wore a costume widely criticized as an antisemitic caricature. She noted that while he apologized back then and she let the matter go, last weekend’s stadium atmosphere crossed a line for her as a Jewish parent.
Pink calls out Macklemore over his pro-Palestine comments at concert
“Then last weekend he stood in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn’t about them. You don’t get to decide that for us. That’s what prompted my repost. Not ‘Free Palestine,’ and not anyone’s right to say it. I have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I’m not asking now. I don’t need anyone fired, and I don’t need a refund. What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I’m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?”
She also addressed the linguistic hostility she observed in her digital mentions, pointing out how terms like Zionist are frequently spat like a slur by individuals unfamiliar with her actual beliefs.
Concluding her message on Friday, she recognized the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks and marked the arrival of Rosh Hashanah, sending wishes for a shana tova to her community as the holiday began at sundown.
