Ed Sheeran’s Apology

Ed Sheeran apologized onstage after supporting act Macklemore was removed from his tour, and every other opening act withdrew in protest. Analyzing the apology may challenge students because of their own political views.

Macklemore said “Free Palestine” and showed pictures of Gaza at previous shows (and he dressed as a Jewish caricature in 2014). Sheeran responded initially with an Instagram post, deflecting decision responsibility to the tour promoter and implying that he would have left Macklemore on the schedule. He also didn’t quite say what Macklemore did or said—what fans objected to—which feels as though he didn’t address the issue directly.

Students may assess his apology at the beginning of the show against the suggestions in Chapter 7 of Business Communication and Character:

• Showing remorse (for example, saying, “I’m sorry” or “I apologize” instead of “I regret”)

• Accepting responsibility (for example, saying, “It’s my fault” or “I failed to . . .”)

• Saying what you did wrong

• Explaining what happened

• Acknowledging the impact

• Offering to fix it

• Saying what you’ll do differently

• Requesting forgiveness

Sheeran appears comfortable and authentic. He reads from a teleprompter, but that may be a wise choice given the sensitivity of the situation. Piers Morgan disagrees: “[Sheeran was] reading it off an autocue like some bullied puppet.” Students will have their own opinions.

Sheeran leads the concert with the issue, which would be the “elephant in the room” otherwise. He says, “I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry,” although he doesn’t say exactly what they are. He broadens the issue toward pre-approval of performers and his desire not to be a “political commentator,” although he then says “but” and attempts to address both sides of the war in Gaza. (Critics note that he demonstrated support for Ukraine by visiting, so he hasn’t been entirely neutral about war and politics.) This seems like an inconsistency and a potential issue of integrity, as we define it in Chapter 1. He doesn’t acknowledge the impact on fans, including their disappointment in hearing other acts.

Demonstrating authenticity, he chokes up a bit and makes a joke, which is risky but works: “I hope you enjoyed my support acts this evening. I heard they were great.” This is a clever way to acknowledge that all three opening acts (Lukas Graham, Finneas, and Aaron Rowe) withdrew, although he could have been more direct.

Overall, the statement seems to appease the crowd and critics, which is a difficult balance. Some fans just wanted to see a concert.