Ed Sheeran was criticised during the opening monologue of “SNL UK”, where Amelia Dimoldenberg compared the singer to an obedient puppet in a joke about the fallout from his decision to remove Macklemore from a tour.
Dimoldenberg, presenter of “Chicken Shop Date”, told the audience: “I’ve been incredibly privileged to have done so many interviews with people like Idris Elba, Cher, and even a world-famous, red-headed puppet with a hand up his arse telling him what to say.”
An image of her interviewing Sesame Street character Elmo then appeared on screen. “No, the other one,” she added, before a graphic showing Dimoldenberg with Sheeran was displayed to laughter and cheers from the audience.
The joke referred to the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s tour after the rapper made pro-Palestine remarks. Sheeran has said that the decision was made by the promoter rather than by him.
He later apologised to fans at a concert in Philadelphia for the rapper’s removal. Sheeran also said that, after initially trying to remain quiet about the issue, he believed Israel’s response to the “horrific” October 7 massacre was “unjustifiable” and “disproportionate”.
Dimoldenberg’s remarks drew a supportive response from the “SNL UK” crowd, with cheers following the reveal of Sheeran’s image.
