Melissa Barrera is asking the question a lot of people have been thinking. After Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s“Loop”tour over pro-Palestine comments and his“Hind’s Hall”performance at MetLife Stadium, the support came fast. FINNEAS pulled out. The opening acts pulled out. Sheeran’s backing band pulled out. Barrera, who was fired from“Scream 7”in November 2023 over her own criticism of the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, watched all of that happen and pointed out the obvious: nobody did that for her.
“I didn’t get that when it happened to me,”she said.“I didn’t have any of that happen. It was too soon. People were too scared.”She added,“I wish that the people that have power understood the power that they have.”Her words landed hard, especially after“Scream 7”star Matthew Lillard admitted he feels regret and shame for not speaking up for her at the time.
Since then, Ed Sheeran addressed the controversy at his September 19 show, admitting he made“mistakes”and questioning whether he wanted to be an artist at all. Macklemore, meanwhile, pledged his entire $1 million in tour earnings to six organizations supporting Palestinians. The whole situation has turned into a conversation about free speech, industry solidarity, and who actually gets protected when things get uncomfortable. So we want to know: do you think the entertainment industry has a double standard about who gets defended? Sound off in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.