Ed Sheeran Roasted by Amelia Dimoldenberg
Saturday Night Live UK is taking another jab at Ed Sheeran amid the controversy surrounding his Loop Tour.
During her opening monologue on the Sept. 26 episode of the British spinoff, Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg reflected on the end of her popular YouTube interview series, which she recently announced would conclude after more than 12 years.
On Chicken Shop Date, the English comedian sits down with celebrities for awkward, deadpan dates at chicken shops. The series has featured some of music’s biggest stars, including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Kendrick Lamar and Charli XCX.
“I’m incredibly privileged to have done so many interviews with people like Idris Elba, Cher, and even a world-famous red-headed puppet with a hand up his ass telling him what to say,” Dimoldenberg told the audience as a photo of her alongside Sesame Street‘s Elmo appears on screen.
She then gestured for a different photo, saying, “No, the other one,” as an image of her alongside Sheeran appeared.
The joke refers to Sheeran’s appearance on Chicken Shop Date in November 2021, when Dimoldenberg met the singer at Sam’s Chicken in London.
Dimoldenberg’s joke comes as Sheeran’s Loop Tour has faced controversy following Macklemore’s removal from the remaining U.S. dates. Macklemore made pro-Palestinian remarks during his opening sets at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sept. 4 and 5, including a “Free Palestine” message and a performance of his protest song “Hind’s Hall.”
SNL UK had already taken aim at Sheeran the previous week. During the show’s Sept. 19 episode, cast member Annabel Marlow portrayed the singer as a fictional “fence-sitter” caught between humans and AI robots in a sketch involving King Charles and a rogue artificial-intelligence assistant modeled on Princess Diana.
The tour controversy also affected Sheeran’s other support acts. Several, including Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga, withdrew from the North American leg in solidarity with Macklemore. Sheeran’s Sept. 19 concert in Philadelphia began without an opening act, and he addressed the controversy from the stage, saying he wanted his shows to be about “unity and humanity, not politics.”
Macklemore has since announced a “Free Palestine Tour,” with shows scheduled for Dublin on Oct. 26, Paris on Oct. 29 and London on Oct. 30. Proceeds from the concerts will benefit organizations providing humanitarian and other support for Palestinians.
Watch Dimoldenberg’s SNL UK monologue below.
