Ellie Goulding makes cryptic post after being dragged into Ed Sheeran and Macklemore controversy

Ellie Goulding has been mentioned in connection with the wider discussion surrounding Ed Sheeran and Macklemore, with one of her recent posts drawing attention.

Though the post, shared on X by the ‘Burn’ hitmaker, does not appear to directly address the situation, it has attracted interest from pop culture fans.

In 2013, Goulding and Sheeran were romantically linked. However, speculation that Goulding had cheated arose after Sheeran released his break-up song ‘Don’t’, which references betrayal.

The singer later shut down the long-running rumour that she had cheated, declaring “False!!!!” in response to a fan who brought up the claim in the comments of a TikTok she posted in 2023.

Three years later, Sheeran and Macklemore have become major talking points after the ‘Thrift Shop’ rapper was dropped from Sheeran's US tour following pro-Palestine remarks he made on stage.

While Goulding did not directly address the tour situation, her post - a single red heart emoji - has attracted attention from some fans, partly because of its timing.

“Objectively funniest thing she could’ve tweeted right now. Not a word. Not a joke. Just a single heart. Honestly iconic,” one pop culture fan posted.

Someone else added: “I can't believe this.”

Another fan claimed: “That one just sent the entire timeline into overdrive. Ellie knows exactly what she’s doing.”

While a critic said: “Girl say words. WTF does a heart mean.”

Following the decision to remove Macklemore from his tour, Sheeran lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers in just 24 hours, MailOnline reports.

According to the publication, his follower count was at 47.6 million on Monday (14 September), but it has since plummeted to 47.3 million.

This was the same day that Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, 43, announced that he had been removed from the remaining US dates of Sheeran's concerts.

Macklemore also performed his protest song 'Hind's Hall' while images relating to the destruction in Gaza were shown on the screens of the stadium.

In an Instagram post announcing that he’d been pulled from the tour, Macklemore wrote: “I’m going to speak from the heart and share the truth. Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour.

“But before I get into it, I want to say something that should be obvious. In this moment, I think it matters. I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world.”

The rapper added: “The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence.

“More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.”

Sheeran responded by saying he is ‘appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine’ and ‘the suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy’.

He insisted that Macklemore's removal from the tour was not his own decision, but that of his promoters.

Sheeran said that venues hosting the upcoming shows had told him they would no longer allow the concerts to take place if Macklemore remained part of the opening lineup.

Who else has quit Sheeran’s tour?

Following the controversy, several of the other artists scheduled to appear on Sheeran’s Loop Tour have pulled out.

Aaron Rowe

The Irish singer-songwriter was set to join Sheeran on his remaining North American dates, but took to Instagram on Tuesday (15 September) to announce that he would no longer be taking part.

“I don’t take the decision lightly,” Rowe said. “Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this.”

He continued: “But as Irish people, we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children.”

Rowe added: “I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.”

Beoga

Irish folk bank Beoga also dropped out, sharing a lengthy statement that read in part: “We are a traditional Irish band who never saw ourselves playing in stadiums of that size and that opportunity is not lost on us. We have been friends with Ed for over 10 years now and will continue to be. We believe in dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestinian people.”

Finneas

Finneas, who had been scheduled to support Sheeran on several South American dates, became another artist to withdraw from the tour.

Announcing the news on Tuesday, the US singer-songwriter, who is the older brother of Billie Eilish, wrote on Instagram: “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran.

“I stand with Palestine and its people.”

Lukas Graham

Danish band Lukas Graham also posted a statement on Instagram, saying that it was ‘hard to watch families in other part of the world burying the people they love’.

Frontman Lukas Forchhammer, who noted that he ‘love[s] Ed’ and is ‘grateful for everything we’ve shared’, went on to say: “I grew up in Christiania, a small community in Denmark where speaking your mind was part of your everyday life. Having more money didn’t make your opinion worth more than anyone else’s.

“Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”

He added: “This is a difficult decision, but it’s one I need to stand by.”

Tyla has contacted representatives of Ellie Goulding for comment.