Actress Hannah Einbinder says she hopes Ed Sheeran gets ‘really bad sunburn’ after Macklemore removed from tour
Hacks star Hannah Einbinder has joined the growing list of celebrities who have publicly condemned Ed Sheeran.
The actress and stand-up comedian, 31, is among the dozens of famous faces who have blasted the British singer-songwriter after he released a statement on Tuesday (16 September).
Sheeran, 35, has been slammed after sharing an explanation for why he doesn't 'use his professional platform for politics' after Macklemore was booted off his tour for making comments in support of Palestine on stage.
Earlier this week, Macklemore revealed that stadium owners in the US, including Robert Kraft, were refusing to let him participate in Sheeran's gigs due to his remarks about the devastation unfolding in Gaza.
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The rapper, real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, then shared a lengthy statement defending his support of Palestine on social media.
Explaining that he believes Sheeran took an 'apolitical stance' to the matter, he wrote in reference to the 'Bad Habits' singer: "He couldn’t get past his public facing: I don’t take sides.
"And I get why people don’t. Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things. But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed. When one side has the bombs and bottomless financial and military support from America, refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle."
Sheeran then responded to the controversy on Tuesday, saying that although he has his own 'personal views on this devastating conflict' in Palestine, he chooses not to express them publicly.
"My audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds," he told his 48million Instagram followers.
"Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum," Sheeran went on. "I respect Macklemore's strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes.
"However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace.
"I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed."
In wake of this, all four support acts who were set to open up for Sheeran on the 'Loop Tour' have announced they are standing in solidarity with Macklemore and will no longer perform.
Who has withdrawn from Ed Sheeran's tour?
Irish hitmaker Aaron Rowe said he 'would lose all respect for himself [if he] carried on as normal', while Billie Eilish's brother Finneas said he was dropping out as he 'stands with Palestine and its people'.
Sheeran's backing band Beoga then revealed they would be following suit, as did Danish pop band Lukas Graham.
The popular children's YouTuber Ms Rachel then waded into the conversation and took aim at Sheeran for staying silent.
"It's not wrong to say Palestinian people should be able to be free, and Palestinian kids should be able to grow up," she said. "It's wrong to be silent during a genocide."
In a series of Instagram stories shared on Tuesday, Einbinder shared her thoughts on the row that has erupted.
Given that she is Jewish-American and has used her platform to raise awareness of the atrocities in Palestine, the Golden Globe-nominated actress doesn't believe staying silent is an option.
Concluding her speech at last year's Emmy Awards while winning the gong for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Einbinder said: "Go birds, f**k ICE and free Palestine!"
Backstage, the Seekers of Infinite Love star said of her decision to do so: "It is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel.
"Our religion and our culture is such an important and long-standing institution that is really separate to this sort of ethnonationalist state."
She also expressed her support for Palestine during an appearance at Cannes film festival in May this year and explained why she doesn't shy away from speaking about it.
Asked whether she feared being blacklisted in Hollywood, she said: "The cost of not speaking is higher. There is a greater toll in not speaking and you’ve just got to have your priorities straight.
"I am under no impression that my small career could ever measure up in comparison to even one human life. It’s an obligation and I will always do it."
Last night, she shared various sources of information to Instagram about Israel and Palestine, before posting a screenshot of Sheeran's net worth being estimated at a whopping $400million.
Alongside it, Einbinder wrote: "Ed Sheeran, I say this as a ginger. I hope you get a REALLY bad sun burn the kind on the back of your entire body where it hurts to lie down or walk or sit."
The actress also shared screenshots of a poem penned by the Guatemalan revolutionary and poet, Otto Rene Castillo, which is titled 'Apolitical Intellectuals'.
Sheeran has lost almost 100,000 Instagram followers after the events of this week.
Topics: Ed Sheeran, Palestine, Israel, Celebrity, Politics
Olivia Burke