Kraft and Sheeran Pledge $4M After Macklemore Challenge
Kraft and Sheeran Pledge $4M After Macklemore Challenge
The News
Rapper Macklemore said Tuesday he will donate the $1 million in net earnings he made opening for Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour to organizations that support the Palestinian people — and challenged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to match him.
Kraft answered within hours, and went further: TMZ reported the billionaire is doubling the gift to $2 million. Variety reported that Sheeran is also giving $2 million, putting the combined pledge at $4 million.
Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium, had threatened a venue boycott against the tour over Macklemore's presence on it.
Timeline
Macklemore announces he will donate $1 million in net earnings from his run as Sheeran's supporting act to organizations serving Palestinians in Gaza, and invites Kraft to match the gift, per Deadline and The Washington Times.
Kraft responds to the challenge, Rolling Stone reported. TMZ reported he is doubling Macklemore's figure rather than matching it.
Variety reports Sheeran and Kraft are each donating $2 million toward the humanitarian crisis, though it is unclear which organizations will receive the money.
Reactions
CNN framed the turn as a truce between "canceled and canceler," with a stadium fight over one opening act converting into humanitarian donations from both sides.
Deadline reported Macklemore's pledge as a direct invitation to Kraft — the billionaire who had threatened to shut the tour out of his venue — to put the same money behind Palestinian relief.
Coverage crossed the spectrum quickly, from Rolling Stone and Variety on the left of the dial to The Washington Times on the right, each leading with the same core fact: the challenge was issued, and it was taken.
What's Next
The open question is where the money lands. Variety reported it is unclear which groups will receive the Kraft and Sheeran donations, and none of the sources named the organizations Macklemore selected.
Also unresolved is Kraft's threatened boycott of the tour at his venue, which the reports do not say has been withdrawn.
More
The dispute began on Sheeran's Loop Tour, where Macklemore served as a supporting act. The $1 million Macklemore pledged is described in the reporting as his net earnings from those opening slots — not a gift out of unrelated funds.
Poll
Did Robert Kraft handle the challenge the right way?
Snap Launches $2,195 AR Glasses With Nvidia, Salesforce
Paul Blocks Kennedy's AI 'Kill Switch' Bill
Sep 16, 2026
Trump Bans Canadian Goods, Warns Over EU Bid
Sep 17, 2026
House Passes Bill Curbing Data Center Power Costs
Sep 16, 2026
Colleagues Prompt McConnell to Flip Farm Bill Vote
Sep 16, 2026
House Passes Russia Sanctions, Sending Bill to Trump
Sep 16, 2026
Israel, Morocco to Open Embassies in US-Backed Deal
Sep 16, 2026
ISIS-K Operative Gets 20 Years Over Abbey Gate
Sep 16, 2026
Park Service Admits Trump Arch Harms Historic Sites
Sep 16, 2026
Feds Charge Three in $12M LA Homeless Fraud
Sep 16, 2026
Paramount Eyes California Exit as Merger Deadline Looms
Sep 16, 2026
GOP Leaders Erupt Over Gas Tax Suspension
Sep 16, 2026
Trump Demands 1% Rates After Fed Hike
Sep 16, 2026
US Confirms Space Weapons, Eyes Lunar Warfare
Sep 16, 2026
Diddy's Lawyers Quit $100M Suit Over Unpaid Fees
Sep 16, 2026
NASA Spacecraft Finds Record New Crater on Moon
Sep 16, 2026
Fifth Woman Linked to Philly 'House of Horrors'
Sep 16, 2026
Fed Hikes Rates, First Rise Since 2023
Sep 16, 2026
Trump Chief of Staff Wiles Says Cancer-Free
Sep 16, 2026
Patrick Clancy Breaks Silence on '60 Minutes'
Sep 16, 2026
Sep 17, 2026