Joe Walsh
Role at the time: Former U.S. Representative (R-IL); political commentator
Statement summary
Joe Walsh disputed the framing that Macklemore's on-stage remarks were limited to the phrase "free Palestine," saying he said more than that and that it was offensive to some people, while defending both Macklemore's right to say it and Kraft's right to exclude him over it.
“Macklemore didn't just say free Palestine. He did more than that... a reason why a lot of folks got upset... Maybe not offensive to you, but offensive to some people. You'd acknowledge that or no?”
Full 1:03:44 episode published to the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel on September 16, 2026. The episode description lists the panel as Ana Kasparian, Wajahat Ali, Joe Walsh and Luai Ahmed, with former Israeli prime ministers Ehud Olmert and Naftali Bennett appearing later. Morgan hands to Ali at 23:30; Ali speaks without interruption until 26:12, moving from a defence of Macklemore and criticism of Robert Kraft and Ed Sheeran into the argument that the episode marks a generational and cultural turn against Israel. Morgan replies at 26:14 that Israel's popularity has been "consistently plunging." The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio. Ali's characterisations of Israel's conduct and of public opinion are his own.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
Walsh disputes Ana Kasparian's characterization that Macklemore merely said an innocuous "free Palestine," asserting he said more and that it upset and offended people. He does not go on to personally condemn Macklemore's conduct -- he explicitly defends Macklemore's right to have said it, framing the dispute as a free-speech and property-rights question for all parties rather than rendering his own verdict on the content.