Ed Sheeran's cousin calls him 'coward' amid Macklemore fallout

Jethro Sheeran, Ed Sheeran's first cousin and a musician who performs under the name Alonestar, has publicly attacked the singer in a scathing social media post, calling him a "coward" following Macklemore's removal from Sheeran's Loop Tour. 

"Finally it's all coming out! I'm ashamed of my cousin Ed and what he's done," Jethro wrote. 

"Finally the world and all his fans see through him. He's not a good person; I don't like his music, so I can't say he's even a good artist." 

He went further, alleging, "He's honestly a selfish individual with malicious, cunning ways," and claiming Ed had personally orchestrated Macklemore's dismissal despite the singer's public statements to the contrary. 

"Ed Sheeran! He is shady, and he's dropped Macklemore himself. I believe 100 per cent he's a coward."

Ed has maintained publicly that the decision wasn't his to make, writing on Instagram, "Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine. Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me." 

He's said stadium owner Robert Kraft objected to what he described as "hate speech" during Macklemore's September 4 and 5 performances at MetLife Stadium, where the rapper wore a keffiyeh and declared "Free Palestine" onstage, prompting other venues to threaten pulling out of the tour if Macklemore remained on the bill. 

Sheeran added, "I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care. Nor does it mean I don't support causes in my own, personal way."

Jethro's animosity toward his cousin appears to predate the current controversy. 

He alleged that Ed "screwed him over" following his rise to fame, and separately claimed that lawyers representing Ed's record label had previously threatened legal action after Jethro released a remixed version of Raise Em Up, a song the two originally recorded together in 2010, that credited Ed and used his image, reportedly in an effort to raise money for his own daughter's music career.