Billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has come under renewed scrutiny after confirming that he pressured Ed Sheeran over rapper Macklemore’s participation in his US tour following the artist’s outspoken support for Palestine.
Kraft owns Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, one of the venues where Macklemore was due to perform as an opening act for Sheeran’s tour.
Macklemore said Sheeran told him that Kraft had intervened to stop him from performing at the stadium and had pushed other venue owners to take similar action.
Kraft confirmed that he had intervened, arguing that allowing Macklemore to perform at his stadium would cross a line because of what he described as the rapper’s “broader history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery”.
Macklemore was subsequently removed from the remaining US dates of Sheeran’s tour, turning a dispute over one performer into a wider debate over Palestine, political expression and the influence of wealthy pro-Israel figures over major cultural spaces.
So who is Robert Kraft, what role did he play in Macklemore’s removal, and why has the episode drawn such intense scrutiny?
Who is Robert Kraft?
Robert Kraft is a Jewish-American billionaire, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, and one of the most prominent American supporters of Israel.
Forbes estimates his wealth at more than $13 billion. He has donated millions of dollars to Jewish and Israeli causes, including more than $20 million to the “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign.
Kraft’s support for Israel has also brought him close to the country’s political establishment. He received the $1 million Genesis Prize in 2019 for his contributions to the Jewish community and humanity.
At the award ceremony, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Israel does not have a more loyal friend than Robert Kraft.”
Kraft has long been outspoken about his connection to Israel, saying in 2019: “After my family, there is nothing I’m more passionate about than the State of Israel and my Jewish identity.”
Kraft has also used his influence in American sport and celebrity circles to promote ties with Israel, including taking prominent American football figures such as Tom Brady to visit the country.
What happened to Macklemore?
The row began after Macklemore appeared as an opening act at one of Sheeran’s US shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month.
During his set, the rapper delivered an outspoken message of support for Palestinians, saying: “I say free Palestine. I say free Lebanon. Free Cuba to the Congo to Sudan to Iran.”
He also performed Hind’s Hall, his song dedicated to Hind Rajab, the five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces after becoming stranded inside a car in Gaza.
Macklemore also directly addressed Jewish members of the audience, saying: “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid and opposition to genocide are in no way criticism of you. This is a message of peace and love, and of treating all human beings with dignity and equality.”
He later defended his comments, saying that “wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial”.
His appearance quickly attracted backlash from pro-Israel groups, including the Israeli-American Council, which launched a petition calling for him to be removed from Sheeran’s tour.
What did Robert Kraft do?
Macklemore subsequently said Sheeran told him that Kraft had personally intervened.
In an Instagram post, Macklemore wrote: “Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.”
He also said that Kraft had approached other stadium owners and that they collectively warned Sheeran that they would not host his shows if Macklemore remained on the tour.
Kraft did not publicly address that wider claim.
He did, however, confirm that he had pressured Sheeran over Macklemore’s appearance at Gillette Stadium.
Kraft defended his intervention by saying: “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf.”
He argued that such advocacy should not come at the "expense" of the Jewish community or “obscure the responsibility of Hamas”.
The result was that Macklemore was dropped from the remaining US dates of Sheeran’s tour.
The distinction over who formally made the final decision, however, has done little to diminish scrutiny of Kraft’s role.
As the owner of one of the venues involved, Kraft used his position to pressure an artist’s participation after Macklemore had publicly backed Palestinian rights.
Why does Kraft’s role matter?
The controversy has put a spotlight on the power that wealthy pro-Israel donors and political advocates can exert beyond traditional political arenas.
Kraft is not simply an individual supporter of Israel. He is a billionaire who owns a major US sports venue and has extensive influence in American sporting, political and cultural circles.
His intervention over Macklemore has therefore raised questions about what happens when an artist uses a major commercial platform to speak about Israel and Palestine.
The latest episode also forms part of a broader pattern in which outspoken support for Palestinian rights can face institutional and commercial consequences, particularly in the US.
Kraft has previously taken action over pro-Palestinian activism. In 2024, amid student protests and encampments calling for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza and for universities to divest from companies linked to Israel, Kraft suspended his financial support for Columbia University.
At the time, he said he was “no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff”.
The move reflected Kraft’s broader willingness to use his financial and institutional influence in response to activism surrounding Israel.
How did artists respond?
Four supporting acts on Sheeran’s tour, including Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham and Finneas, as well as members of the main band, announced their departure from the tour following Macklemore’s removal.
Their decision added another layer to the fallout, showing that attempts to pressure artists over their stance on Palestine can also provoke resistance from within the music industry.
The episode has therefore exposed both the power wealthy figures can wield over major cultural platforms and the limits of that influence when other artists choose to stand with those being pushed out.
It also revealed how attempts to silence artists over Palestine can end up drawing more attention to the very issues they are speaking about.