Ed Sheeran faces criticism over 'teleprompter' claims during on-stage apology

Ed Sheeran is facing mounting criticism over the handling of his on-stage apology following his recent tour chaos.

The singer broke down in tears as he addressed fans at the at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where pro-Palestine protests were organised for outside.

It was the first time he took to the stage since the tour was thrust into the headlines, beginning with support act rapper Macklemore being dropped from the lineup.

Performing for the first time since the incident unfolded, Sheeran told the crowd: "I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I’m so, so sorry for them.

“I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.”

He said the controversy made him consider quitting music for good, adding: “I really didn’t know whether this tour would be carrying on."

However one detail caught the eye of social media users, with the singer now facing criticism over a theory that he was possibly reading from a screen.

Video footage posted on X, filmed at the show, appeared as though Ed was repeatedly looking down, with users suggesting a teleprompter.

"Here's the angle of Ed Sheeran reading the whole thing from his teleprompter," one caption read in a post that has had half a million views.

Another, titled 'Ed Sheeran starts to cry while reading a teleprompter message from the heart at tonight’s concert' has over 1 million, as a Reddit thread also shared the footage and was named: "Ed Sheeran needing a teleprompter to explain the current situation."

Ed had opened the show solo admitting he had made 'mistakes' and condemning the conflict in Gaza as 'catastrophic' and 'unjustifiable', adding he had tried in the past not to be a 'political commentator'.

“I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore,” he said. “What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.

“What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, children’s lives.

“And the systemic injustice we are seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”

Sheeran concluded the concert by saying: “The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope.”

A small but vocal pro-Palestine protest was held outside the subway station that serves the stadium, several hundred metres from the venue.

Police confirmed on Saturday that they would have an increased presence at the venue to protect the singer and attendees.

Acts who dropped out of Sheeran’s tour include Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Grammy award-winning musician Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham, and Sheeran’s backing band Beoga.

Sheeran responded in a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday, saying it was the promoter’s decision to remove the rapper from the tour, not his.

LADbible has approached Ed Sheeran's reps for comment.