Rowan Blanchard Breaks Silence on Macklemore Getting Kicked Off Of Ed Sheeran’s Tour: “How Many People Refuse to Get Past Their Public Facing ‘I Don’t Take Sides'”

Rowan Blanchard, the actor and activist, has thrown her weight behind Macklemore’s stance on excluding the rapper from Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour because of his support for Palestinians during performances.

The actress, now 24, shared an Instagram post from the artist via her Instagram story. A part of the screenshot read about the private conversation held by the rapper with the musician, where the rapper defended using the term “Free Palestine” as something offensive to people and pointed out the deaths of children from Palestine.

“How many people refuse to get past their public facing ‘I don’t take sides’,” Blanchard stated in the screenshot.

This action puts Blanchard, the actress and activist who made statements on political and human rights topics throughout her teenage years during the Disney Channel series “Girl Meets World,” in a line of entertainers taking a side in the argument. Meanwhile, most artists in her age group have avoided joining the debate.

In response to getting removed from the Loop Tour, the artist shared his Instagram post where he stated, “I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim.”

In his post, Macklemore mentioned how he conversed with the singer, where the artist mentioned that the words “Free Palestine” and the Palestinian flag offended some people and replied that there is a disconnect when the terms become more offensive than the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian children. “But he couldn’t get past his public facing, ‘I don’t take sides’,” Macklemore wrote. He continued, saying taking a side in a fight has a price, and listed the money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships, and access he lost, adding that “there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.”

The artist also questioned what would happen to him if he kept playing and implicitly supported Sheeran by asking, “What artist might speak out next?” It all started after Macklemore’s appearance on September 4 and 5, when the rapper showed his support for Palestinians at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Footage from the war in Gaza was shown on the screen behind the artist, performing his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” inspired by the pro-Palestinian student movement.

An organization claiming to represent over 150,000 Israelis in America, the Israeli American Council, launched a petition over the performance, calling it a one-sided political agenda, and demanded clarification on whether Sheeran approved the political terms. Singer Pink reposted criticism of the performance, which led to backlash against her and prompted her to issue a statement clarifying her standpoint. Macklemore said Sheeran told him that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and the Kraft Group owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, told him he would not be allowed to perform on his property.

Kraft later responded that he has accused Macklemore of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. The tour promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed his removal.