Macklemore Donates $1 Million Loop Tour Earnings to Palestinian Aid Groups
US rapper Macklemore says he is donating the full $1 million he earned from performing on Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour to organizations providing direct aid to Palestinians. The announcement, made in a statement on his Instagram account, comes just a week after he was removed from the tour.
Where the money is going
According to Macklemore's Instagram statement, the $1 million — his entire earnings from the tour dates, not a partial share — will be split evenly among six organizations that work directly with Palestinian communities. The statement did not name the six organizations.
Tour lineup unravels
Macklemore's removal from the Loop Tour has triggered a wave of exits from the rest of the bill. Three support acts — Finneas, Aaron Rowe, and Lukas Graham — have all announced they are pulling out, and Sheeran's longtime backing band Beoga, a traditional music group from Northern Ireland that has played on Sheeran's records and live shows for years, has also stepped away.
What we know — and don't
As it stands, the Loop Tour has lost its entire opening-act lineup along with one of Sheeran's regular touring bands. The source does not specify why Macklemore was removed from the tour, nor does it give further detail on the six aid organizations or how the donation will be distributed. No word yet on whether Sheeran or the tour organizers have issued their own statement, or whether replacement openers have been booked.
- Amount donated: US$1 million (Macklemore's full Loop Tour earnings)
- Recipients: six organizations aiding Palestinians directly (names not disclosed)
- Exited acts: Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham (openers), Beoga (Sheeran's backing band)
- Reason for Macklemore's removal from the tour: not stated in the source
- Tour dates/venues affected: not specified