Ed Sheeran makes tearful admission over family 'abandoning' him as cousin posts scathing rant

Ed Sheeran became visibly emotional while addressing the crowd during his latest concert, admitting he felt his friends and family were 'abandoning' him amid the explosive fallout from the Macklemore controversy.

The singer, 35, broke down during his Loop Tour show at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday (19 Sep), where he opened up about what he described as an incredibly difficult week.

His emotional admission comes days after his cousin Jethro Sheeran publicly launched a scathing attack against him, branding him a 'coward' and claiming he was 'not a good person'.

And it all comes after a huge row erupted over Macklemore being removed from the US leg of Ed’s tour after the rapper spoke out in support of Palestine.

What actually happened with Macklemore?

The controversy began earlier this month when Macklemore performed at Ed’s shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

During his performances on 4 and 5 September, the rapper spoke about the situation in Gaza before saying 'Free Palestine' and performing his protest track 'Hind’s Hall', with imagery depicting destruction in Gaza.

The Israeli American Council called for him to be removed from the tour, after which the decision was made, with tour promoter Messina Touring Group claiming venues had indicated the concerts would not be able to go ahead with Macklemore on the bill.

Sheeran has repeatedly insisted that the decision was not his, telling fans in an Instagram statement shared last week: "Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine. Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me."

The 'Thinking Out Loud' singer also said he had tried to find a solution involving venues, promoters and people on different sides of the debate.

The following day, Sheeran's other support acts pulled out of the same tour, including Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, while his Irish backing band Beoga also announced they would leave.

The move left the 35-year-old facing his first Philadelphia show without his usual touring musicians.

What did Sheeran say during his Philadelphia concert?

Continuing with the performance over the weekend, Sheeran addressed the fallout directly with the 50,000-strong Philadelphia crowd, reflecting on the pressure he had faced to cancel the tour.

"In these situations you really find out who your friends are,” he told the audience. "It’s been a weird week. It happened very quickly.

"At the same time, I had so many people telling me to cancel this tour and so many people I’ve known for years and years and years they’re kind of backing away."

The British musician then appeared to become overwhelmed as he explained how the reaction had affected him personally.

"Everyone's telling me to cancel and I'm feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me," Sheeran continued, going on to acknowledge the support of the thousands of people who had still turned up to see him.

"In the back of my mind, I saw the ticket sales for this gig and I didn’t see cancellations; I saw people buying tickets for this gig," he said, added that seeing 50,000 people still show up had given him hope following a tricky week.

What had his cousin said?

Sheeran's latest remarks came after his cousin Jethro Sheeran publicly criticised him during the Macklemore fallout.

Jethro - who is also a musician, performing under the name Alonestar - posted a lengthy message on social media last week, beginning: "Finally it’s all coming out! I’m ashamed of my cousin Ed and what he’s done.

"Finally the world and all his fans see through him. He’s not a good person, I don’t like his music so I can’t say he’s even a good artist."

He continued: "He’s honestly a selfish individual with malicious, cunning ways. 'He kills you with kindness' (His Words) I’m his first blood cousin and he screwed me over, made fun of my mental health and mental health in general."

He went on to accuse Sheeran of being responsible for Macklemore’s removal, despite the singer's repeated claims that the decision was made by the promoter.

"He is shady and he’s dropped Macklemore himself I believe 100% he’s a coward," Jethro penned. "In my opinion he’s a bad human. Just my opinion from my experiences."

Lastly, Jethro alleged that Sheeran had previously interfered with his music and claimed the pair had fallen out over personal matters.

Did Sheeran address the situation in Gaza during his speech?

During the emotional Philadelphia speech, Sheeran went further than simply discussing the tour drama, describing the Israel-Palestine situation as 'the most complex political issue on the planet'.

“I've had to take, and make, difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I'm so, so sorry for them," he told fans, going on to condemn the 7 October attacks in Israel.

"What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific," Sheeran said, going on to describe the treatment of Palestinian people as 'catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate', claiming he'd been deeply affected by the loss of civilian lives.

What about Macklemore?

Following his removal from the tour, the 'Can't Hold Us' singer has continued to stand by his decision to speak publicly about Palestine.

In several social media statements, he has said that the focus should remain on Palestinians affected by the conflict and pledged the $1 million he earned from the tour towards Palestinian relief efforts.

Robert Kraft, whose involvement with Gillette Stadium became a major part of the dispute, subsequently committed $2 million to humanitarian aid, according to reports.