Fact Check: Did Ed Sheeran convert to Judaism amid Macklemore controversy?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Amid the backlash against Ed Sheeran over the removal of Macklemore from his tour following the rapper's pro-Palestinian remarks, a claim began circulating on social media that Sheeran had converted to Judaism. The claim triggered mockery and criticism against the English singer, prompting a fact-check of the viral rumor.
The claim surfaced on X as Sheeran faced continued scrutiny over the controversy surrounding Macklemore's removal from his stadium tour. Sheeran has said that the decision to remove Macklemore was not his own.
Claim: Ed Sheeran converted to Judaism
According to a viral post that surfaced on X, Ed Sheeran had reportedly converted to Judaism.
The post garnered tens of thousands of views as of this writing, with several comments under the post appearing to criticize the artist, while others praised him for the alleged act, indicating that many users believed the claim to be true.
Meanwhile, a few others dismissed the claim as fake and appeared skeptical, questioning the authenticity of the viral post and calling for a fact-check of the rumor.
Fact Check: The claim came from a parody account
However, there is no evidence of the 35-year-old singer converting to Judaism, and the claim is false.
There are no official statements, announcements, or social media posts from the Grammy Award winner confirming a conversion of religion.
If Sheeran had really converted to Judaism, prominent news and entertainment media outlets would likely have widely covered it, particularly given the recent controversy surrounding Macklemore's removal from his tour.
A search on Google for the claim yielded no credible news reports supporting the rumor.
Additionally, the claim originated from a popular parody account on X called ‘Hoops Crave,’ which describes itself in its bio as ‘satire’ and has posted similar claims about the singer.
Backlash over Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour
The claim followed the backlash after Macklemore was removed from Sheeran's stadium tour after several venues allegedly stated that they would not allow the American rapper to perform following his onstage political statements in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including calls for a “free Palestine.”
Following his removal, Macklemore said, “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine.’”
The backlash intensified when Sheeran's opening acts and his own band quit his tour in the US in solidarity with Macklemore.
The viral claim about Sheeran's alleged conversion to Judaism, however, originated from an account that identified itself as a parody and satire account.
