What to know about Pink's statement after opposing Macklemore Israel remarks - Newsweek

Singer Pink publicly addressed the backlash over her repost criticizing Macklemore’s pro‑Palestinian remarks at Ed Sheeran’s MetLife Stadium shows, issuing a lengthy statement clarifying her views on Israel, Gaza and why she believes her earlier posts were misinterpreted.

Her initial repost—a post from StopAntisemitism that accused Macklemore of spreading “anti‑Israel propaganda” and said Jewish fans were “owed apologies” and refunds—paired with what she calls "snarky memes," ignited accusations of prejudice and calls for boycotts across social platforms.

Pink’s explanation comes after a week of online controversy, a petition from the Israeli‑American Council urging Sheeran to remove Macklemore from his U.S. tour, and intensifying debate over how artists navigate the war in Gaza nearly three years after October 7.

Newsweek reached out to Pink's team via email for comment.

Pink said she had “been quiet in my own words for a week,” acknowledging that her repost of criticism about Macklemore’s set “said things in words I didn’t write, and I wouldn’t have chosen all of them.”

She admitted she responded to the backlash with memes because “that’s on me…a repost isn’t a statement, and a meme isn’t a spine.”

“I was born a Jew. I didn’t pick it, and I’ve never hidden it," she said, and added that people projected beliefs onto her without reading her past statements.

She reiterated what she said in October 2023: "Hamas is a terrorist organization. Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and their aspirations. Protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child. Anybody’s child."

She also referenced her decade as a UNICEF ambassador, saying she has “grieved every one of them, on both sides of that fence.”

Pink stressed she would not “litigate a complex war in an Instagram caption” nor “recite anybody’s slogan to earn back a follower."

Macklemore’s set at Sheeran’s Loop Tour on September 4 and 5 triggered the controversy. Wearing a keffiyeh before an 80,000‑person crowd, he said “Free Palestine,” addressed Gaza and the West Bank, and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall” with Gaza imagery projected across the stadium screens.

He told the audience that speaking about Palestine was one reason he joined the tour, praising student activists at Columbia University and explicitly addressing Jewish concertgoers: “Criticism of Israel…in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”

Supporters say Macklemore has long been outspoken about Gaza and was exercising artistic conscience. Critics, including StopAntisemitism and the Israeli‑American Council, argue the set turned a pop concert into a political rally and subjected fans to “a one‑sided political agenda.”

Pink’s initial repost, which called Macklemore’s presentation “awful” and suggested that Jewish fans were exposed to “propaganda," sparked immediate backlash across Reddit, X, and Instagram. Some accused her of prejudice; others defended her right to criticize political messaging at a concert.

Her subsequent memes, including artwork reading “IF THEY WANT TO PAINT YOU AS THE VILLAIN THEN POSE,” were interpreted as indirect responses to the controversy. Critics said she was deflecting; supporters said she was being unfairly targeted for expressing discomfort with political content at a show.

The Israeli‑American Council launched a petition demanding Sheeran clarify whether Macklemore’s speech and visuals were approved and urging the tour to set boundaries for political messaging. Some fans have called for Macklemore to be removed from remaining U.S. dates.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Sam Wilson.