Ben Shapiro
Role at the time: Conservative political commentator, host of The Ben Shapiro Show
Statement summary
Ben Shapiro said Robert Kraft made the right decision barring Macklemore from Gillette Stadium, calling Macklemore's on-stage remarks "nonsense" and suggesting Macklemore's motive was seeking notoriety, while saying the decision may have backfired publicly (comparing it to the Streisand effect).
“I think it's a good decision by Bob Kraft. I mean, obviously he owns the stadium. So if he doesn't want somebody spewing nonsense from the stage, he has every capacity to do that on a PR level... on the principle, he did the right thing.”
Internet Archive TV News recording of Ben Shapiro's live appearance on Fox News' America's Newsroom, September 15, 2026, 6:00-7:00am PDT. The quoted wording is our transcription of the archived broadcast audio; it matches the Internet Archive's own closed-caption text word for word.
Why we used this label
Shapiro calls Macklemore's on-stage remarks 'nonsense,' says Macklemore 'openly' admitted his only motive was notoriety, and states Kraft was correct 'on the principle' to exclude him -- an express condemnation of Macklemore's conduct, distinct from his separate (and more neutral) observation that the exclusion may have backfired tactically.