Amelia Dimoldenberg brought her deadpanChicken Shop Dateenergy to theSNL UKstage on Sept. 26, and Ed Sheeran was the target. During her monologue, she listed the famous names she’s interviewed, Idris Elba, Cher, and then“a world-famous red-headed puppet with a hand up his ass telling him what to say.”It’s a direct callback to Sheeran’s 2021Chicken Shop Dateappearance, and the clip is already making the rounds again. It also marks the second straight weekSNL UKhas poked fun at him.
The timing is rough, because Sheeran’s Loop Tour is dealing with real fallout. Macklemore was removed from the remaining U.S. dates after making pro-Palestinian remarks and performing“Hind’s Hall”at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 4-5. Support acts Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga then withdrew in solidarity with Macklemore, and Sheeran’s Philadelphia show went ahead without an opening act. In response, Sheeran said he wanted his shows to be about“unity and humanity, not politics.”
Macklemore isn’t slowing down. He’s announced a Free Palestine Tour with October dates in Dublin, Paris and London, which keeps the story in headlines well past this weekend. So the roast and the tour controversy are now tangled together, whether Sheeran wants them to be or not.
Do you think the puppet joke crossed a line, or was it fair game? Sound off in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.