Ms. Rachel pledges to match Macklemore’s $1 million Gaza donation

Children’s entertainer Rachel Accurso, better known to millions of young viewers as “Ms. Rachel,” said Thursday she will match rapper Macklemore’s $1 million pledge to organizations aiding Palestinians, deepening a weekslong controversy that began when the rapper was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour over his pro-Palestinian remarks onstage.

In an Instagram post, Ms. Accurso wrote that she would match the donation and “invite every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza.” She added: “Over 20,000 precious Palestinian children have been killed and children continue to be killed every day. We have a moral obligation to use our privilege and platforms to protect children and human rights.” Ms. Accurso, a global ambassador for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, said her donation would go to that organization.

Macklemore, born Ben Haggerty, announced Wednesday that he would give the $1 million in net earnings he said he received from the tour to six groups supporting Palestinians, including Anera, UNRWA USA, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Gaza Soup Kitchen, HEAL Palestine and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Mr. Haggerty also challenged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to match the sum, writing, “Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting.”

Mr. Kraft said in a statement that his own $2 million commitment followed a private request from Mr. Sheeran, who he said called him earlier that same day — before Mr. Haggerty’s public challenge — and asked him to match a $2 million donation toward regional humanitarian relief. “Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million,” Mr. Kraft said, adding that Mr. Sheeran now plans to reach out to other venue owners.

Mr. Haggerty was removed from the remaining U.S. dates of Mr. Sheeran’s tour after pro-Palestinian remarks at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, including calls to “Free Palestine,” drew objections from several stadium owners. Mr. Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium, confirmed to TMZ that he did not want Mr. Haggerty performing there, citing what he called “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” in the rapper’s material. Mr. Kraft said the decision was “not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians” but about not letting advocacy “come at the expense of the Jewish community.”

Mr. Sheeran, in his own statement, said the removal was made by tour promoters and venues rather than himself, and that he has avoided political statements because his audience “includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds.” He said he spent a week trying “to build bridges” between the parties without success. Four other opening acts subsequently withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Mr. Haggerty.

Ms. Accurso had previously criticized Mr. Sheeran’s handling of the dispute, saying he “caved to people who refuse to accept what the world knows” and that “silence during a genocide is not neutral.”

The children’s YouTube star, whose Netflix programming has drawn tens of millions of young viewers, has faced her own scrutiny over her activism. In January, Ms. Accurso apologized after screenshots showed her Instagram account had “liked” a comment reading “Free America from the Jews” beneath one of her posts, calling the like accidental and saying she opposes “antisemitism and hate of any kind.”