Pink has explained why she criticized rapper Macklemore over a pro-Palestinian message he delivered while opening for Ed Sheeran, publishing a lengthy Instagram essay on Friday after a week of public backlash.
The 47-year-old singer, whose real name is Alecia Moore-Hart, wrote that she had been "quiet in my own words for a week, which you know isn't like me." She said a repost she shared the previous weekend "said things in words I didn't write, and I wouldn't have chosen all of them," and that she responded to the backlash by posting "snarky memes" rather than explaining herself. "A repost isn't a statement, and a meme isn't a spine," she wrote.
The Repost That Started the Feud
The dispute began when Pink reshared an Instagram Story from the account StopAntisemitism criticizing Macklemore's performance. "Awful, Jewish fans bought tickets to see Ed Sheeran sing last night in NJ, not to be ambushed by Macklemore's anti-Israel propaganda," the post read, accusing him of turning "a mainstream event into a political nightmare" and saying concertgoers were "owed apologies and refunds."
Macklemore, 43, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, opened for Sheeran's Loop tour on September 4 and 5 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Macklemore's Onstage Message
Fan footage showed Macklemore wearing a keffiyeh and telling the crowd, "One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages in stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine." He performed his song Hind's Hall against footage of Gaza, and said the track was inspired by Columbia University students who led campus protest encampments.
He also addressed Jewish concertgoers directly. "To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you," he said, adding that he also supported freedom for Lebanon, Cuba, Congo and Sudan.
Pink's Essay Explained
In her essay, Pink said she does not "speak for Israel, or for any government," and that her views had not changed since Hamas attacked a music festival near the Gaza Strip. "I was born a Jew. I didn't pick it, and I've never hidden it," she wrote. "Hamas is a terrorist organization. Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and their aspirations. Protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child."
She noted she has spent a decade as a UNICEF ambassador and has personally visited children affected by the war.
The 2014 Costume Controversy
Pink said her objection was rooted in Macklemore's history rather than his politics. She recalled cheering when he performed "Same Love" at the 2014 Grammys as 33 couples married onstage, only for him to later perform in a fake nose, black beard and bowl cut he called a "random costume." "Every Jew I know knew exactly what it was," she wrote.
Macklemore apologized at the time, writing on his website that he never intended to offend and had thought he resembled Ringo Starr or Abraham Lincoln. Pink said she had accepted that apology and "let it go" until his MetLife set. "Not 'Free Palestine,' and not anyone's right to say it," she wrote of what upset her. "I have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I'm not asking now. I don't need anyone fired, and I don't need a refund."
Reaction and Fallout
Pink said comments accusing her of supporting genocide, and phrases like "from the river to the sea" aimed at her, showed "something has changed in this country."
![She claimed that comments on her posts, like 'From the river to the sea' and 'Zionist,' which was 'spat like it's a slur,' indicated that '[s]omething has changed in this country'; seen above in 2022 in LA](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/09/12/07/111201935-16125009-She_claimed_that_comments_on_her_posts_like_From_the_river_to_th-a-69_1789194039082.jpg)
She closed her essay by noting the coincidence of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, writing that she planned to "light the candles, dip some apples in honey, pour a glass of wine" with her children, and signed off with "Shana tova."
Israeli actress Gal Gadot was among those who praised the post, commenting, "I feel you so.. you're not alone. Shana tova filled with love and light."
Macklemore appeared to respond on Monday by resharing footage of his MetLife speech with the caption "Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial." Pink reshared his post without further comment.
Boycott Petition and Macklemore's Activism
Macklemore is also facing a petition from the Israeli-American Council calling for him to be dropped from the remaining Sheeran tour dates. "This was an Ed Sheeran concert, not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event," the petition states. The number of signatures has not been made public.
Macklemore released the song Hind's Hall in 2024, with proceeds going to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. In 2023, he appeared at a pro-Palestine march of roughly 100,000 people in Washington, D.C., telling the crowd, "I know enough to know that this is a genocide."
Representatives for Pink, Macklemore and Sheeran have not publicly commented further on the essay, and Sheeran has not addressed the controversy.
