Alex Pearlman says outside money and influence were used to silence Macklemore
Alex PearlmanComedian and co-host of the podcast Crashing Out, posting as Pearlmania500
On the September 16 episode of Crashing Out, Alex Pearlman said Robert Kraft was leaning further into antisemitic tropes, then said that after Macklemore said "free Palestine" a group of people used their outside money and influence to silence and remove him, attributing this to what Pearlman called their oversized control of the media and the sports network.
“Macklemore said free Palestine. And what happened? A series of people came together and used their outside money and influence to silence a man to remove him due to their oversized control of both the media and the sports network and so many more.”
Original video
Where this statement fits
Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech and removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour
At two Ed Sheeran concerts at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore called for a free Palestine, accused Israel of apartheid and genocide, and said criticism of Israel was not criticism of Jewish people. After venue objections, tour promoter Messina Touring Group said he would not perform the remaining U.S. Loop Tour dates. Critics characterized the performance as hostile or inappropriate; Macklemore defended it as a call for equal treatment.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Pearlman’s remarks in the same episode. He is identified as the speaker because he addresses his co-host as “Phil” at roughly 17:47 and refers to himself by name at roughly 15:46, where he jokes about holding up a menorah because being called an antisemite “isn’t going to work on Alex fucking Pearlman.” Immediately before the excerpt he says Robert Kraft “is leaning in harder and harder into a lot of anti-Semitic tropes.” The quotation was checked against the episode recording.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Pearlman had been discussing Robert Kraft's ties to Benjamin Netanyahu and to pro-Israel advocacy, and said Kraft "is leaning in harder and harder into a lot of anti-Semitic tropes, which make those tropes less of a trope and more in some people's mind a reality." Minutes earlier he joked about holding up a menorah because calling him an antisemite would not work on him.
After the quotation
He went on to describe the Blue Square anti-hate campaign associated with Kraft, and asked his co-host about its Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg advertisement. This is Pearlman's first recorded statement in this case.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Pearlman treats the speech as unobjectionable and the removal as an act of silencing, which is a defence of the conduct under scrutiny. The closest competing label is condemns, since the passage is framed as an attack; that loses because its target is Robert Kraft and those Pearlman says organised the boycott, not Macklemore. Recorded as stated: Pearlman's explanation invokes disproportionate control of media and sport by the group he is describing, a formulation that resembles the antisemitic trope he accuses Kraft of leaning into two sentences earlier. We record the position as expressed and do not resolve that tension here.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Robert Kraft
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Read the full caseMacklemore says the "billionaire class" should not decide "which voices are allowed on stage"
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention. So we're going on tour. All proceeds will benefit organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement.”Read statement
Jewish Voice for Peace says the backlash to Macklemore's removal shows support for pro-Palestine speech
Jewish Voice for Peace
“Two years into Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestine organizing, the backlash against Sheeran shows how little patience Americans have for attacks on pro-Palestine speech. It also demonstrates the shift toward support for Palestinian rights among everyday Americans that our movements have helped propel.”Read statement
Macklemore announces "Free Palestine Tour" after removal from U.S. dates
“To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”Read statement
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- Alex Pearlman says outside money and influence were used to silence Macklemore
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The Dispute Index. "Alex Pearlman says outside money and influence were used to silence Macklemore". First published: 2026-09-18. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/1010-on-the-september-16-episode-of-crashing-out