Ed Sheeran breaks silence on estranged cousin’s comments amid ongoing tour controversy
Ed Sheeran has hit back at personal attacks from his cousin over the Loop Tour controversy.
The singer addressed the simmering family tension as he hit the stage in Atlanta on October 3, where he responded to comments made by Jethro Sheeran.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence, addressing the constant jabs from his estranged cousin Jethro. Instagram/@lumieredarlings
“The other text messages were, like, from a family member who I haven’t spoken to in a very long time,” he said.
“You might have seen [my relative] recently on social media.”
While Sheeran didn’t mention his cousin by name, Jethro has been vocal online and weighed in on the disaster surrounding the Loop Tour, kicked off by Macklemore’s ‘Free Palestine’ comments.
“I’m ashamed of my cousin Ed,” Jethro wrote in a September 17 social media post.
“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’s honestly a selfish individual with malicious, cunning ways.”
While Ed didn’t address the comments publicly, only the brief mention at his latest show, his cousin has doubled down during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored in late September.
“We were pretty close. But early on, I saw the snake in him,” Jethro claimed.
“He’s very talented and people think I’m jealous. But jealous of what? His looks? His guitar? His singing? … Seeing what he did to Macklemore I believe he kicked him off that show. I believe he did it with his team and then he blamed the promoter.”
Jethro Sheeran has doubled down on the comments he’s made publicly about his cousin the fallout of his show controversy. Instagram/@alonestarsheeran
When Macklemore was kicked off the tour following his comments, Sheeran’s other opening acts all decided to walk away in a show of solidarity.
The show in Atlanta over the weekend also featured one of his first “special guests” to perform, and it’s one of Sheeran’s musical heroes.
Multiple social media reports confirmed that The Fray’s former frontman Isaac Slade performed an abbreviated set before Sheeran’s headlining performance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Slade performed the band’s well-known hits like How to Save a Life and You Found Me, and reportedly told the crowd he was “honoured to be here.”
Macklemore was removed from Sheeran’s tour over his ‘Free Palestine’ comments, and it’s kicked off weeks of ongoing controversy. Getty
He also addressed the controversy surrounding Sheeran.
“Everybody seems to be taking sides in this world and that’s good,” Slade said from the stage.
“What’s happening over there [in Gaza] is wrong but if we’re going to get through it, we’re going to need people to step into that middle place, that common ground. That bonfire in the middle of the field that sees both sides, that understands that peace is not a lack of conflict. Peace is not a blank canvas that we need to guard and be polite.
“[Peace] holds enough beauty, enough tragedy, enough sorrow, enough joy and life if we learn how to integrate it and hold each other in balance. We will find a way through this together.”
Slade previously joined Sheeran on stage for his Loop Tour in August, during a show in Toronto.
