Fox News host Jesse Watters didn’t hold back his confusion on Tuesday’s episode of The Five, pushing back on claims that rapper Macklemore engaged in hate speech after the musician was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour following an on-stage “free Palestine” statement.
Watters questioned exactly what the artist said that warranted such backlash. He noted that all he heard was Macklemore saying “free Palestine,” and said he didn’t believe that qualified as hate speech.
The Fox host then pivoted to poke fun at his co-host Greg Gutfeld while discussing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s decision to bar Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium. Watters argued that if Kraft owns the venue and doesn’t want a performer there, that’s simply his prerogative. He joked that if Gutfeld were on tour with him and started running his mouth or annoying him, he’d kick him off the tour too, regardless of whether politics were involved, adding that he wouldn’t tolerate it even over something as small as a bad look.
Macklemore has claimed that Kraft worked to rally other stadium owners against his appearance on Sheeran’s tour, a tour he has since been removed from entirely.
Kraft, for his part, said Macklemore was banned from performing at the venue due to a longstanding commitment to maintaining a welcoming atmosphere for all guests and ensuring that events at the stadium don’t serve as a platform for hate speech. Kraft pointed to recent actions and material shared from the stage during Macklemore’s appearances at Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, along with what he described as a broader pattern of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that he believes has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.
The controversy stems from performances earlier this month at MetLife Stadium, where Macklemore declared “free Palestine” and referenced what he called a “genocide” taking place in Gaza.
The promoter behind Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour later issued a statement explaining that venues along the upcoming tour dates had notified them they would not permit a show to proceed with Macklemore on the lineup. The promoter said that stance would have forced the cancellation of the entire tour and affected hundreds of thousands of fans. Following discussions with stakeholders, the promoter announced that Macklemore would no longer be performing on the tour’s remaining support dates.
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