Global girl group Katseye unfollowed collaborator Ed Sheeran on Instagram following the removal of rapper Macklemore from the remaining Loop tour dates. The tour changes came after Macklemore delivered a ‘Free Palestine’ speech, igniting a fallout that also saw all other opening acts withdraw.
Katseye Unfollows Ed Sheeran Amid Tour Fallout
The international pop landscape shifted significantly when members of Katseye—Manon Bannerman, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, and Yoonchae—removed Ed Sheeran from their Instagram following lists, according to entertainment reporting. The social media purge followed a controversy surrounding rapper Macklemore, who was dropped from the remaining Loop tour dates of Sheeran’s tour.
Fans quickly noticed the digital distancing, pointing out that Lara Raj and Megan Skiendiel not only liked a social media post shared by Macklemore regarding his removal, but Lara also added the rapper to her following list.
The Collaboration Behind the Tension
Sheeran co-wrote the group’s single, Animal
, which was released in July. The British singer-songwriter previously reached out to collaborate after listening to the group’s 2025 single, Gnarly
.
While some supporters backed the decision to unfollow Sheeran, others argued the gesture did not go far enough, calling for the group to pull Animal
from their live setlists entirely, as detailed by the Daily Mail. Social media users also urged listeners to stop streaming the track so that Sheeran does not continue to profit from songwriting royalties.
Macklemore’s Ouster and the Tour Collapse
The wider crisis began after Macklemore delivered a ‘Free Palestine’ speech. Following the speech, the tour’s promoter, Messina Touring Group, announced that Macklemore would no longer appear on the remaining dates.
The fallout quickly cascaded across the entire lineup. The tour’s other opening performers—Finneas O’Connell, Aaron Rowe, Beoga, and Lukas Graham—subsequently announced they would no longer perform on the tour, leaving Sheeran’s support acts completely empty.
Accusations of Industry Blackballing
Macklemore later accused New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft of conspiring with other stadium owners to blackball him from the tour.
The rapper subsequently announced plans to donate his net earnings from the tour—totaling $1 million—to six organizations serving Palestinians: Anera, Gaza Soup Kitchen, HEAL Palestine, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. He also publicly challenged Kraft to match the donation, a tactic that prompted the billionaire to announce plans to match a donation from Sheeran.
The Broader Cultural Aftershocks
The controversy has drawn reactions from numerous public figures and environmental activists, including Greta Thunberg, Kehlani, Zara Larsson, Florence Pugh, and Nicola Coughlan, who engaged with Macklemore’s posts online. For Sheeran, who has traditionally maintained what Macklemore described as a typical apolitical stance
, the tour disruption represents an unprecedented test of how celebrity alliances and political speech intersect in modern touring economics.