Olurin defends Macklemore's advocacy but acknowledges costume concerns
Olayemi OlurinLawyer and political commentator, appearing as a guest on the Even More News podcast
Olayemi Olurin said she believed Macklemore's support for Palestine was genuine, while acknowledging concerns about his 2014 costume. Read her exact words and the surrounding discussion.
“I think that Macklemore’s support of Palestine and his speaking out against the genocide in Gaza is genuine. I do believe that. I don’t believe it’s motivated by anti-Semitism. However, I think it is valid for people to give the side eye … based on the fact that you’ve done something that could be read as blatantly anti-Semitic before. … So I can understand why, if I’ve seen you quite literally dress up as an anti-Semitic caricature before, I can understand why someone would be skeptical of his speaking out in support of Palestine.”
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
Panel episode with hosts Katy Stoll, Cody Johnston and Jonathan, and guest Olayemi Olurin. Quotation checked against the published audio. Speaker attribution was established visually rather than from the audio, which carries no speaker labels: the programme captions Katy Stoll by name overlay at 00:23, the two other hosts are men, and the four-way panel shot at 06:04 matches the solo speaker delivering this passage at 06:12 to the remaining panellist, the guest. A members-only ad-free cut of the same episode exists at youtube.com/watch?v=-xwwhvvoa1o.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Said after host Katy Stoll raised a 2014 photograph of Macklemore in a costume with a large prosthetic nose, wig and beard, and said she did not like the costume, then invited Olurin to continue.
After the quotation
Olurin added that people sharing the 2014 photograph were often using it maliciously to conflate pro-Palestinian advocacy with antisemitism, and that the costume is not why Macklemore was removed from the tour. Macklemore apologised for the costume in 2014 and the Anti-Defamation League accepted the apology at the time.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
On Macklemore’s conduct in giving the speech, Olurin holds two positions that pull against each other. She accepts the speech itself as sincere and not antisemitic, and separately treats the “Free Palestine” remark as legitimate, which would point to “Defended or excused”. But she declines to dismiss the critics, saying their scepticism is valid given the 2014 costume and comparing it to having seen someone dress as a Klansman. That is a substantive reservation about the speaker rather than a polite qualification, which is what makes it mixed. She also separates the two matters expressly, noting the costume is not why he was removed from the tour.
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- People and groups discussed
- Macklemore
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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
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“To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Olurin defends Macklemore's advocacy but acknowledges costume concerns". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/1108-olayemi-olurin-said-she-believed-macklemore-s-support