Ed Sheeran loses followers as Macklemore's grow amid fallout: Details inside

Ed Sheeran's Instagram following has severely declined in the wake of backlash over Macklemore's removal from his Loop Tour, while Macklemore has seen a significant surge in followers during the same period.

The controversy began after Macklemore delivered a politically-charged speech while opening for Sheeran at Gillette Stadium in New Jersey, prompting criticism from figures including Pink and the Israeli American Council. Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft later admitted it was him who found the remarks offensive to the Jewish community, which led to Macklemore's removal from the tour.

Sheeran also addressed the situation publicly, saying he wasn't complicit in the decision.

Now, social media analytics firm Social Blade has stated that Sheeran was sitting at roughly 47.3 million Instagram followers as of September 15, before losing nearly 150,000 followers within the first 24 hours of Macklemore's removal. His numbers have continued to slide since, bringing his current total down to around 47 million, a net loss of roughly 300,000 followers.

Macklemore, by contrast, had around 7.9 million followers on September 15 and has since climbed to nearly 8.9 million, a net gain of more than 1 million followers in the weeks since the controversy.

Sheeran's other tour collaborators saw similar shifts after exiting the tour in solidarity with Macklemore. Finneas gained 96,163 followers and Beoga picked up 86,548 within the first 24 hours alone, while Aaron Rowe's following grew by 73% in that same early window. All four have continued growing since, with current totals now at 4.8 million for Finneas, 1.1 million for Lukas Graham, 361,000 for Rowe, and 344,000 for Beoga.