Ms. Rachel has announced her intention to donate $1 million USD to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), matching a similar commitment made by rapper Macklemore after he was removed from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour due to his pro-Palestinian statements during a performance.
The popular American YouTube personality and educator, known as Rachel Accurso, shared her pledge in an Instagram post on Thursday, calling on “every affluent white celebrity to match it and raise their voices against the genocide in Gaza.”
“More than 20,000 innocent Palestinian children have lost their lives, and this tragedy continues daily,” she stated. “We bear a moral responsibility to leverage our privilege and platforms to safeguard children and uphold human rights.”
Accurso, who has over 21 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, became a global ambassador for PCRF last September. As a children’s entertainer, she has actively spoken out for the protection and rights of children in Gaza, utilizing her platform to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Macklemore, whose actual name is Benjamin Haggerty, reacted to her post by commenting, “Wowwww…. Love you so much.”
The Can’t Hold Us artist announced on Instagram on Wednesday that he would be donating all of his $1 million net profit from Sheeran’s tour to six organizations supporting the Palestinian community.
Earlier this week, Macklemore was removed as an opening act from Sheeran’s The Loop tour after footage surfaced showing him repeatedly chanting “Free Palestine” to an enthusiastic audience and voicing support for Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank during a concert on September 4.
During a speech at the second show on September 5, the Grammy-winning artist from Seattle addressed Jewish audience members, asserting, “Critiquing Israel, opposing apartheid, and standing against genocide is not a criticism of you.”
“My message is one of peace — a call for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”
His comments sparked significant backlash from pro-Israel groups and led several venues across the U.S. to threaten to cancel shows unless the rapper was removed.
Macklemore later indicated that his removal from the tour was orchestrated by American billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.
In a statement shared with CBC News on Monday, Kraft, a vocal supporter of Israel, confirmed his opposition to Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, which he owns. He stated that the venue would “not provide a platform for hate speech,” adding that Macklemore promoted division through “selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas.”
Following Macklemore’s departure, Sheeran faced a swift and intense backlash, with many critics condemning the singer’s neutral stance. The Shape of You singer released a detailed statement on his Instagram on Tuesday, explaining that Macklemore’s exit was the decision of the promoter, not his own.
He mentioned that while he attempted to “build a bridge,” the venues remained firm in their stance.
Sheeran expressed that he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” acknowledging that the “suffering and pain inflicted on both sides is a human tragedy.” However, he defended his choice to refrain from taking a public position.
“I have my personal views on this heartbreaking conflict,” he wrote in part. “Just because I choose not to express them publicly does not imply that I lack them, nor that I do not care.”
Shortly after Sheeran posted the statement, all remaining supporting acts declared their withdrawal from the tour, including the Irish folk band Boega, who also announced they would no longer act as Sheeran’s backing band for the rest of the U.S. tour dates.
Consequently, the tour now has no opening acts. Sheeran’s next performance is set for Saturday in Philadelphia.
On Wednesday, Kraft revealed that both he and Sheeran have each committed $2 million USD to humanitarian efforts in the Gaza area, following a public challenge from Macklemore to match his donation.
In a statement posted to the official Gillette Stadium account on X, Kraft noted that Sheeran had reached out to him prior to the public challenge.
“Ed contacted me and requested that I commit $2 million to match his donation to assist the region in combating this humanitarian crisis,” he wrote. “Ed now intends to reach out to other venue owners, and our aim is to collaborate to build bridges.”
