Ed Sheeran branded ‘red-headed puppet’ by SNL UK host Amelia Dimoldenberg as savage monologue sparks backlash

As a photograph of Ms Dimoldenberg alongside Sesame Street’s Elmo flashed up on screen, she added: “No, the other one.”

The image then switched to a shot from her 2021 YouTube interview with Mr Sheeran, prompting loud cheers from the studio audience.

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Ms Dimoldenberg said nothing further, letting the moment speak for itself as the crowd’s reaction filled the room.

The jibe was a pointed reference to the ongoing furore surrounding Mr Sheeran’s Loop Tour, which has engulfed the 35-year-old singer in the biggest controversy of his career.

Macklemore was removed from the remaining US dates after delivering pro-Palestine remarks during two performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month.

The rapper, 43, subsequently revealed on Instagram that Sheeran and his team “made the decision to remove” him from the tour, though Mr Sheeran later insisted the call had been made by promoters rather than himself.

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In the wake of Macklemore’s dismissal, every remaining support act pulled out of the tour in solidarity with the rapper and his stance on Palestine.

Saturday’s monologue marked the second consecutive week that SNL UK had trained its fire on Mr Sheeran. The previous episode featured cast member Annabel Marlow portraying the singer in a sketch about an AI robot uprising, complete with a ginger wig, fake tattoos and loop pedal, telling King Charles that “the bravest thing you can do is to say nothing at all.”

The Weekend Update segment that same week proved equally merciless. Co-anchor Paddy Young displayed a particularly unflattering photograph of Sheeran and quipped that it showed him “seeing both sides of the issue”.

Mr Young also described Sheeran as “a passionate advocate of causes that are allowed.”

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Ms Dimoldenberg’s monologue has since gone viral on social media. Leading the furore against her shot at Mr Sheeran was comedy writer Graham Linehan who penned on X: “The regime spreading the news that antisemitism is socially acceptable.”

Meanwhile, a second reacted to the monologue by slamming: “Built a career off celebrity access, became a celebrity herself, then discovered contempt and pile ons for celebrities, for more celebrity-dom.”

“She was happy to have Ed in her chicken shop show, using his popularity for clicks and likes and views, and now she’s using him for a cheap and cruel joke, how pathetic, how despicable,” a third critic weighed in.

While a fourth echoed: “This Ed Sheeran fiasco is proof positive that you should never apologize or bow down to the left. Even if you know you’re wrong. Either ignore them, or tell them to go fuck themselves, but never show weakness.”

Amelia Dimoldenberg monologue. #SNLUK pic.twitter.com/WR3A3iMcqs

— Sky TV (@skytv) September 27, 2026

And a fifth concurred: “I’m pro Palestine and I’m sick of the Ed pile-on & bullying. The problem makers in this situation were Pink and Kraft. Ed was put in a tough spot as the headliner who was contractually bound to that tour. Give him space to learn & grow after the tour.” (sic)

There were several viewers who saw the funny side of the jibe, however. “This by @ameliadimz was savage. Poor @edsheeran is learning the cost of moral abdication,” one person applauded, while a second weighed in: “I’ve watched it 8 times in a row .. epic.” (sic)

Mr Sheeran returned to the stage without any opening act at his Philadelphia concert on September 19, where he broke down in tears while addressing the fallout. Reading from a teleprompter, he told the 50,000-strong crowd that the preceding days had been among “the worst weeks of my life.”

“Everyone’s telling me to cancel, and I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me,” he said, before adding that seeing fans turn up had convinced him to carry on.

The regime spreading the news that antisemitism is socially acceptable. https://t.co/yPL2teCbQa

— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) September 27, 2026

The singer acknowledged he had been “making mistakes” and declared he could no longer stay silent on the conflict. “What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate,” he said, while also condemning the October 7 attacks as “horrific.”

Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, has since announced a “Free Palestine Tour” with dates in Dublin on October 27, Paris on October 29 and London on October 30, with all proceeds going to organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement.

“It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore,” the rapper wrote on Instagram, adding that his “schedule has freed up a bit” following his removal from the Loop Tour.

Mr Sheeran has also donated $2 million towards global humanitarian aid since the controversy erupted.