Philip DeFranco on Music

Public disputes involving music, musicians, performances, recordings, distribution, and musical authorship.

How we classify topics

Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.

Statement history

2 statements on this page. Dates: September 14, 2026

2 matching statements. Dates: September 14, 2026

2 published statements. Dates: September 14, 2026

Defended or excused

2 published statements. Dates: September 14, 2026

2 statements on this page. Dates: September 14, 2026

Philip DeFranco

Role at the time: Commentator and host of The Philip DeFranco Show

September 14, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

In a video responding to Sheeran’s statement, DeFranco rejected Sheeran’s account that the decision was out of his hands, argued his silence and inaction were themselves choices, and defended Macklemore’s stand.

“Ed, your silence was loud. Your inaction was gargantuan.” … “I also find it off-putting that he is making himself seem like he has less power in this situation, like he’s not the main … attraction, worldwide phenomenon, Ed Sheeran.”

Watch the original video

Philip DeFranco, “Ed Sheeran Just Made The Macklemore Mess So Much Worse”Full video; wording taken from YouTube’s automatically generated English captions, retrieved 2026-09-15.

A further Philip DeFranco video published after Ed Sheeran’s September 15 statement, responding to it directly. A transcript was obtained from YouTube’s automatically generated captions. Those captions contain clear transcription errors in places, so quotations drawn from them should be checked against the recording before publication.

Why we used this label

Relative to Macklemore’s MetLife speech and his removal, DeFranco defends the stand Macklemore took and condemns Sheeran’s handling of it, rejecting the claim that Sheeran lacked power over the outcome. This is a further, sharper statement than his September 14 remarks already recorded in this case, not a change of position, so it is recorded separately rather than as a supersession.

Read statement Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech and removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour

Philip DeFranco

Role at the time: Host of The Philip DeFranco Show, giving his own commentary.

September 14, 2026Defended or excused

Response to this claim

Ed Sheeran and his team decided to remove Macklemore from the remaining Loop Tour support dates.

“at the very least, I'm disappointed in Ed”

Watch the original videoPhilip DeFranco criticizes Ed Sheeran's response to Macklemore's tour removal · Philip DeFranco13:10–13:41; selected quotation at 13:11; separate continuation at 13:53–14:01

September 14 episode on Philip DeFranco's verified YouTube channel. His own opinion criticizes Sheeran's response to Macklemore's removal and rejects conflating criticism of Israel's government with antisemitism. The criticism is directed at Sheeran's response and exclusion, not at Macklemore's speech. The Ms. Rachel quotation at 13:43–13:52 belongs to her and is excluded from DeFranco's excerpt. Sheeran's purported private remarks and Kraft/stadium-owner coordination are presented as attributed accounts, not independently proven by this video. Full timestamped YouTube transcript reviewed; audio-level quotation check remains outstanding before publication.

Why we used this label

The condemnation targets Sheeran's response and the exclusion of Macklemore, not Macklemore's original speech. DeFranco expressly voices disappointment and criticizes the reported refusal to take sides; his subsequent argument about conflation supports that evaluation. This substantive criticism is stronger than a characterization-only label. Ms. Rachel's embedded statement is not counted as his words.

Read statement Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech and removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour