The Ben Shapiro Show - September 16, 2026


Why All of Ed Sheeran's Openers Just Quit

The 'Free Palestine' Stunt That Got Macklemore Fired

Episode Stats


Length

9 minutes

Words per minute

210.53

Word count

1,993

Sentence count

148

People

Also mentioned:

Transcript

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00:00:00.000 On the cultural front, things get stupider every single day.
00:00:03.000 So, there's been this major blow up in the entertainment community over the fact that Macklemore, who has not been relevant since, I don't know, 2013, 2014, and his song Thrift Shop, basically Ed Sheeran threw him a charity bone and allowed him to open for him.
00:00:17.000 Well, no good deed goes unpunished because then Macklemore decided it was time to become culturally relevant again.
00:00:23.000 And what's the best way to gain cultural relevance?
00:00:24.000 Shout about the Uden.
00:00:26.000 Now, to be fair, Macklemore loves shouting about the Uden.
00:00:29.000 Like, that's one of his favorite things.
00:00:31.000 One of his early scandals was dressing up in full-scale Jew face, like with the hook nose and everything, and then doing a Heil Hitler salute while doing it.
00:00:38.000 So, Macklemore, not exactly hiding the ball on his politics.
00:00:42.000 He's also a person who suggested that 9-11 was done by the Bush administration, and of course, buys into every possible anti-Israel conspiracy theory that you could possibly suggest.
00:00:52.000 Well, Ed Sheeran never should have signed him, but he was trying to do a good turn, and no good turn goes unpunished, because then Macklemore went out on stage and started promoting all sorts of Garbage like that Israel had committed a genocide and was purposefully murdering tens of thousands of children and all this kind of crap.
00:01:09.000 And Robert Kraft, who owned the stadium where this was happening, said, I don't want this in my stadium.
00:01:15.000 And so Macklemore lost his gig opening, which was a net loss for 0% of the population at an Ed Sheeran show.
00:01:22.000 Most of whom were sitting there going, Who the hell is this guy and why is he so bad at his job about Macklemore?
00:01:27.000 So Ed Sheeran then put out a statement.
00:01:30.000 Ed Sheeran's statement said, Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed.
00:01:33.000 Because I respect him as an artist.
00:01:35.000 So first mistake, why would you possibly respect him as an artist?
00:01:38.000 That's not yo-yo ma.
00:01:39.000 As with all my support acts, I agree that they play a set list of their choosing.
00:01:39.000 Come on.
00:01:43.000 After Macklemore's performance at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated they would pull the shows if he was still supporting.
00:01:49.000 I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance rather than on everything that was said.
00:01:56.000 I spoke with the venues at length all last week to try to build a bridge.
00:01:59.000 One of those people was Robert Kraft.
00:02:00.000 I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try to find a mutual resolution for all, but the venues and promoters decision was final.
00:02:08.000 Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, not mine.
00:02:11.000 Macklemore's contract is with the promoter, not me.
00:02:13.000 Those who have been to my shows will know they are about unity, joy, escapism, love, and a place for everyone to feel welcome.
00:02:18.000 I am not complicit.
00:02:19.000 I have my personal views on this devastating conflict.
00:02:21.000 Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care, nor does it mean I don't support causes in my own personal way.
00:02:27.000 There's a reason I do not use my professional platform for my politics.
00:02:30.000 My audience includes young people, often children of all backgrounds.
00:02:33.000 Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum.
00:02:36.000 There's room for multiple approaches to the same end, peace.
00:02:38.000 I choose to use my famine platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary.
00:02:41.000 So.
00:02:42.000 That statement set off just a firestorm because Ed Sheeran basically blamed the promoter for getting rid of Macklemore and then said, listen, my job is not to do politics, which of course is what he should say.
00:02:52.000 In fact, I would venture to say that Ed Sheeran's big mistake here was blaming the promoter.
00:02:56.000 What he probably should have said before Robert Kraft even had a chance to do anything, Ed Sheeran should have said, we're not doing politics on this tour.
00:03:02.000 I don't care whether you're pro Israel or whether you're pro Hamas.
00:03:05.000 We're just not doing politics on this tour.
00:03:06.000 I don't do politics.
00:03:07.000 If you get out there and you use my stage and my fame and my name in order to promote your own politics, the answer is no, you leave.
00:03:13.000 Ed Sheeran should have done that and it would have been fine.
00:03:16.000 And it probably still will be fine for Ed Sheeran because, despite all of the yelling about Ed Sheeran, he's a very popular musician.
00:03:22.000 But people are going nuts, including his obscure supporting mates.
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00:04:48.000 According to Rolling Stone, all of Ed Sheeran's openers are now abandoning the tour.
00:04:53.000 Phineas, the singer-songwriter best known for his work with his sister, Billie Eilish, which means he's not famous on his own.
00:04:57.000 No one's heard of him, will no longer open for Sheeran on the upcoming South American leg of the loop tour.
00:05:02.000 Additionally, two other openers for the U.S. leg, Danish pop artist Lucas Graham and Irish singer songwriter Aaron Rowe, announced they would not partake in the rest of the U.S. leg.
00:05:08.000 You know what?
00:05:09.000 Good.
00:05:09.000 I hope that they become more obscure.
00:05:11.000 Because I had never heard of them until literally this very moment reading their names.
00:05:14.000 And probably neither had you.
00:05:15.000 That's why they're opening acts.
00:05:18.000 Alexander Ocasio Cortez, of course, said this is about elite censorship.
00:05:21.000 I don't know.
00:05:22.000 Does Robert Kraft have to open his forum to people spewing anti Semitic bile?
00:05:25.000 Is that a thing he has to do?
00:05:27.000 Here is AOC.
00:05:28.000 She's upset.
00:05:29.000 She's not going to go to an Ed Sheeran concert anymore.
00:05:31.000 Probably he'll go bankrupt or not, or he'll still sell out.
00:05:36.000 What has happened with the act and not just in removing Macklemore from the lineup, but when you see what Robert Kraft did to line up all of the stadiums to censor speech in that one specific way,
00:05:51.000 it's become clear that this is not just about one music artist or two music artists, but this is about how just a handful of stadium owners and the elite can prevent an entire massive issue, in this case the genocide in Gaza.
00:06:10.000 It doesn't stop there.
00:06:12.000 It could be speaking out about AI.
00:06:14.000 It could be speaking out about any issue that you can now just get a handful of stadium owners to ensure that an entire person's career can be jeopardized if they speak out about any issue.
00:06:28.000 Again, once again, AOC is a fellow traveler with all the pro jihadi crew in Congress.
00:06:33.000 This is what she does.
00:06:33.000 There is no genocide in Gaza by any stretch of the definition of the word genocide.
00:06:37.000 Genocide doesn't mean a thing you don't like.
00:06:40.000 Naturally, Mehdi Hassan.
00:06:42.000 Suggested, this is insane.
00:06:43.000 The so called land of the free again.
00:06:45.000 People who hate our actual values in the United States, like Mehdi Hassan, will come here and then use our values against us.
00:06:52.000 This is insane.
00:06:53.000 The so called land of the free.
00:06:56.000 I wasn't aware that Macklemore doesn't have the ability to speak to literally every outlet, which is what he's doing right now.
00:07:03.000 Flashback to 2015, Mehdi Hassan was saying offensive speech carries responsibility.
00:07:06.000 So, yeah, there's that.
00:07:09.000 All righty.
00:07:09.000 Well, the one who gets this right is the Goo Goo Dolls frontman, John Resnick.
00:07:14.000 Here's what he had to say about all of this.
00:07:16.000 And that's why I think live music is amazing because it's like I got people fans from every walk of life every political stripe everything and I always stress we got one thing in common because we're living in weird times We got one thing in common and that's we're all here to see a show and I'm not gonna lecture you people about anything I'm gonna play a bunch of songs that you know and we're all gonna leave here and we're gonna be happier and better for it That's it you're here.
00:07:45.000 Yeah, and it's like I don't give a Who you voted for.
00:07:48.000 I don't care where you go to church.
00:07:50.000 You know, it's like we all got one thing in common.
00:07:52.000 That's a start.
00:07:53.000 Again, this should be pretty basic stuff.
00:07:55.000 The fact that this is even in doubt is kind of insane.
00:07:59.000 The best thing Ed Sheeran should do and should have done here never, first of all, don't trust your politically oriented friends to not stab you directly in the back.
00:08:06.000 This is not Ed Sheeran stabbing Malcolm Moore.
00:08:08.000 This is Malcolm Moore using Ed Sheeran's fame and fortune in order to promote his own politics and become culturally relevant again for a hot second.
00:08:14.000 That's all that's happening here.
00:08:15.000 The cynical player here is Malcolm Moore, not Ed Sheeran.
00:08:17.000 What an amazing video you just watched.
00:08:19.000 Wasn't that amazing?
00:08:20.000 Well, you know, if you think so, head on over to dailywire.comslash subscribe to watch the full show ad free or check out this crazy story here.
00:08:27.000 Every significant movement in history has started with protesting.
00:08:30.000 Now it's traitor!
00:08:30.000 It's Uncle Tom!
00:08:31.000 This is our generation's civil rights!
00:08:33.000 I have no idea what the protest is about.
00:08:35.000 Bingo!
00:08:36.000 Given the current climate, should a figure as polarizing as Clay Saunders even be allowed on campus?
00:08:41.000 Ah, can you hear me okay?
00:08:42.000 Saunders is a close personal friend of Chancellor Freeman.
00:08:45.000 This is a decision I cannot fight.
00:08:46.000 Islam will conquer the West.
00:08:49.000 Assalamualaikum.
00:08:50.000 Are we paying attention?
00:08:55.000 They've taken over the building.
00:08:56.000 They're downstairs and they've blocked the doors.
00:09:00.000 I seek forgiveness from Allah the Almighty.
00:09:04.000 We cannot run and hide.
00:09:06.000 Muhammad is the messenger of God.
00:09:09.000 There is no God but Allah.
00:09:12.000 What do you say?
00:09:13.000 He turned those SOBs into a fine red mist.
00:09:18.000 As we move, one man will cover while the other guys go.
00:09:21.000 They call that leapfrogging.
00:09:23.000 Stretch them out and listen.
00:09:26.000 You need a course in safe weapons handling.