International Entertainment

Macklemore announces own tour

Macklemore has announced a ‘Free Palestine’ tour after being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US stadium shows following his pro-Palestinian remarks on stage.

The 43-year-old American rapper will begin the run in Dublin on October 26 before performing in Paris on October 29 and London on October 30, with North American dates set to follow. The concerts will bring Macklemore together with special guests and raise money for organisations providing humanitarian assistance and other support for Palestinians.

Announcing the shows on Instagram, Macklemore said: “If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years. There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artistes right now.

“It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work any more. People are asking artistes to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”

Macklemore added: “What happened to me is bigger than one artiste or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.”

The announcement follows a turbulent period for Sheeran, 35, and his Loop tour after Macklemore was removed from its remaining US dates. The rapper had appeared at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4, where he told the audience part of his reason for joining the tour was to say “Free Palestine” in a stadium, and that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know “we have not forgotten about them”.

Promoter Messina Touring Group subsequently said venues scheduled to host forthcoming shows had told it they would not permit concerts featuring Macklemore, potentially jeopardising the performances. The controversy widened when Sheeran’s remaining support acts – Finneas O’Connell, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe – withdrew from the tour, while Irish group Beoga also pulled out of appearances accompanying Sheeran.

Proceeds from Macklemore’s shows are set to benefit organisations including Gaza Soup Kitchen, HEAL Palestine, Middle East Children’s Alliance, and Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

Nick Cannon ‘open’ to renewing life with Mariah Carey

Nick Cannon is “always open” to getting back together with Mariah Carey.

Cannon married Carey in 2008 and though they divorced in 2016, he revealed they speak “almost every day” about their 15-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe and he still regards her as his “greatest friend”.

He told Us Weekly magazine: “We were laughing about [reports we’re not close]. I was like, ‘Who is telling people that?’

“On the flip side, I’ve heard we’re getting back together. I’ll deliver the truth with the doc. I’m always open [to that].

“Our divorce wasn’t messy. We were able to move on and be the best parents we can.

“I always say Mariah Carey was my greatest friend and my greatest teacher. What I learnt most from her is how to hold on to what’s true and create your own spaces, without letting outside energy infiltrate.

“I’ve never seen somebody operate on their own frequency, and it’s always so positive. And you know all that she’s been through in her life. I think that’s what keeps her going — her faith and her ability to block out negative energy. You feel like you know her, but she keeps all the things that are meaningful to her to herself.”

However, Cannon isn’t interested in getting married again.

He said: “I don’t like the government in my love life. I think the institution of marriage should be respected, but I can’t see myself going through the legal paperwork again.”

The 45-year-old star is known for his colourful personal life because, as well as Moroccan and Monroe, he is also a father to: Golden, nine, Powerful, five, and Rise, four, with Brittany Bell; five-year-old twins Zion and Zillion, and Beautiful, three, with Abby De La Rosa; Legendary, four, with Bre Tiesi; Onyx, four, with LaNisha Cole; and Halo, three, with Alyssa Scott, the mom of his late son Zen, who died of cancer at the age of just five months in 2021.

While Cannon doesn’t have a “favourite” among the moms of his children, he admitted he has a particularly special bond with Bre.

“There’s a sense of understanding I don’t have with anybody else. She’s super protective of me. You can’t buy that type of loyalty.

“As much as I say I don’t have a favourite, she definitely holds a special place in my heart.”