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Ed Sheeran Pledges $2 Million After Philadelphia Show

By Drooid · Sep 20, 2026, 9:58 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Ed Sheeran Pledges

Ed Sheeran performed his first U.S. show in Philadelphia after Macklemore was removed from the tour.
Sheeran apologized, calling the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack horrific and the Gaza war catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate.
He pledged a $2 million contribution to aid victims of the conflict.
Venue owner Robert Kraft also agreed to donate $2 million after refusing Macklemore’s performance.

Summary

Rachel Matches $1M

Ms. Rachel announced a $1 million match to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund on September 17 via Instagram.
She serves as an ambassador for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, the match’s recipient.
Accurso urged every wealthy white celebrity to match the $1 million pledge, calling silence racist.
She previously raised over $1 million for children in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan.
In January 2026, she faced an antisemitism claim after accidentally liking a hateful comment.

History

Historical Context

Live Aid, the dual-venue benefit concert organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure on 13 July 1985, raised about £150 million and was watched by an estimated 1.9 billion people, establishing a model of artist-driven philanthropy. In 2024, Ed Sheeran’s Philadelphia show pledged $2 million, a donation echoed by Robert Kraft, directly recalling Live Aid’s precedent of high-profile concert fundraising.

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Ed Sheeran Pledges

Ed Sheeran performed his first U.S. show in Philadelphia after Macklemore was removed from the tour.
Sheeran apologized, calling the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack horrific and the Gaza war catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate.
He pledged a $2 million contribution to aid victims of the conflict.
Venue owner Robert Kraft also agreed to donate $2 million after refusing Macklemore’s performance.

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