How 'furious' Ed Sheeran has been spectacularly 'thrown under a bus by the people he considers friends' - as insiders reveal the mysterious phone call that could see the inoffensive 'prince of pop' de-throned for good

He is the self-made star whose love songs have been the soundtrack to countless weddings – and whose rise from the pubs of Suffolk to the biggest stadiums has made him an international legend.

But now the Daily Mail can reveal that the normally mild-mannered Ed Sheeran is ‘absolutely furious’ after being dragged into the most bitter controversy of his career – and even believes he has been ‘thrown under a bus’ by people he considered friends.

Sheeran, 35, has been plunged into a furious row after his friend of 13 years, American rapper Macklemore, used his coveted slot as a support act on Sheeran’s US stadium tour to deliver pro-Palestinian speeches, display images from war-torn Gaza and don the keffiyeh scarf during a performance of his track Hind’s Hall.

When prominent Jewish groups objected and venue owners threatened to cancel concerts unless Macklemore was removed from the bill, Sheeran spent a week trying to broker a compromise. His efforts failed and the rapper was dropped by the tour’s promoter – a decision Sheeran insists he had nothing to do with.

Now insiders have told the Daily Mail the episode has left Sheeran ‘seriously upset’, not least because he has always been careful to keep his own politics private.

‘This felt very unfair on Ed and he’s understandably pretty hurt and angry that this has now begun to overshadow the tour,’ one source said.

‘Even though Ed is a very mild-mannered guy he will speak his mind when he has to. He’ll be absolutely furious at being put in this situation,’ they added. ‘He’s been thrown under a bus by several people he considers friends.’

The extraordinary chain of events began at the 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4, where Macklemore was opening for Sheeran on his Loop Tour.

The 43-year-old rapper, real name Benjamin Haggerty, whose hits include Thrift Shop and Same Love, has made his support for Palestine over Israel central to his public identity in recent years.

Before performing his protest song Hind’s Hall, he told the crowd: ‘A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine.’

During a concert the following night, Macklemore addressed Jewish fans, saying: ‘Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid [sic], being against genocide, is in no way a criticism of you.’

His speeches provoked an immediate backlash. StopAntisemitism accused the rapper of ‘ambushing’ Sheeran’s audience, while the Israeli-American Council launched a petition demanding his removal.

Pink, the US singer who is Jewish, also intervened, saying: ‘You don’t have to agree with [a single] thing Israel’s government does to not want the Jewish family two rows down from you to be scared.’

But perhaps the most consequential intervention came from Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots American football team, who refused to allow Macklemore to appear at his 66,000-seat Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

Kraft cited the rapper’s comments and a ‘broader history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community’.

For Sheeran, there was an awkwardly personal twist. When Kraft, 85, married ophthalmologist Dana Blumberg in New York in 2022, the singer performed Perfect for their first dance and later described the businessman as ‘super sweet’.

Tour promoter Messina Touring Group subsequently confirmed venues had warned ‘they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the line-up, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact thousands of fans’.

Macklemore alleged that Kraft had telephoned Sheeran telling him he wouldn’t allow the rapper to play at his stadium, and that Kraft had ‘rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.’

Macklemore said his conversations with Sheeran had been ‘rooted in love and respect’ but ended in ‘fundamental disagreement’. While acknowledging that Sheeran had been put in a difficult position, he added: ‘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.’

On Tuesday, Sheeran broke his silence in a statement to his 47 million Instagram followers.

‘Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,’ he said. ‘I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work.’

The singer said he was ‘appalled’ by the conflict and added: ‘I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.’

Explaining his refusal to turn his concerts into political rallies, he said his audience included children and people from all backgrounds who did not arrive expecting ‘a political forum’.

‘I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes,’ he added. ‘However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: Peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.’

Yet his words did little to calm the storm. Within hours, the remaining artists on the tour began abandoning it in ‘solidarity’ with Macklemore – who in 2014 was forced to apologise for wearing a costume of a hooked nose and black beard at a concert in Seattle, which critics said was an anti-Semitic caricature.

Finneas, the Grammy-winning musician and brother and long-time collaborator of Billie Eilish, withdrew from six forthcoming South American dates.

Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, who had been booked for all ten remaining North American concerts, followed, despite saying Sheeran was a friend who had ‘changed my life.’ Danish band Lukas Graham, best known for the global hit 7 Years, also pulled out, declaring: ‘Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.’

Perhaps most painfully, Sheeran’s long-time friends in the Irish folk group Beoga withdrew too. The band helped create the distinctive sound of his hit Galway Girl and had been performing with him at every concert.

The crisis appears dangerous for an artist whose commercial success has been founded upon an approachable image.

Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, Sheeran moved to London as a teen, performing in tiny venues.

His breakthrough came in 2011, followed by hits including Shape Of You and Bad Habits. His albums, beginning with Plus and continuing through Multiply, Divide, Equals and Subtract, turned Sheeran into one of the world’s most successful artists.

Sheeran has historically reserved his public interventions for music issues, including ticket touting, copyright law, and Brexit’s effect on touring performers.

Critics have also pointed out he wore a Justice For Grenfell T-shirt at Wembley in 2018 and performed at the Concert For Ukraine four years later, so he is not afraid to weigh in on political issues. Neither intervention, however, threatened to turn an entire tour into a battleground.

Sheeran has reportedly lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers since the row erupted, while his official website was still appearing to advertise Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe for aturday’s concert.

For years, the British star’s voice has filled one stadium after another. But now he risks being drowned out by the shouting of people he once considered friends.