Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy threw his full support behind New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Wednesday, praising the billionaire for barring rapper Macklemore from Gillette Stadium and calling out what he described as the artist's record of antisemitic rhetoric.
"I back Robert Kraft banning Macklemore from performing at Gillette 1000% and thank him for having a spine when many others in his shoes don’t," Portnoy posted on X alongside a roughly five-and-a-half-minute video. The post quickly racked up more than 2.2 million views.
In the video, Portnoy laid out why he sees Kraft as the one who refused to look the other way. He pointed to Macklemore's 2014 onstage disguise featuring a large fake hooked nose and beard that critics said resembled an antisemitic Jewish caricature, along with what appeared to be a raised-arm gesture. He also highlighted Macklemore labeling Israel's war in Gaza a "genocide" just 12 days after Hamas's October 7, 2023 massacre, and an old 2009 tweet in which the rapper wrote "911...bush knocked down the towers."
Portnoy contrasted that history with Kraft's public work against antisemitism, including the Stand Up to Jewish Hate campaign. Allowing Macklemore to turn a concert at Kraft's own stadium into a political rally, he said, would amount to letting the performer "spit in his face." His verdict: "No f*****g way."
The comments came two days after Kraft confirmed he would not allow Macklemore to open for Ed Sheeran at Gillette Stadium on September 25-26. Kraft cited the rapper's onstage "Free Palestine" remarks and performance of the protest song "Hind's Hall" at MetLife Stadium, plus "a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community."
Kraft stressed the decision was not meant to diminish Palestinian suffering or deny anyone the right to advocate for them. "Their pain and loss are real," he said. "But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas." He offered to sit down with Macklemore "to discuss the facts."
Macklemore has rejected the antisemitism charge, arguing that criticism of Israel is not criticism of Jews. He claimed Kraft rallied other stadium owners, creating an ultimatum that forced him off the rest of Sheeran's U.S. tour. Kraft confirmed only the Gillette ban and did not address the wider allegation. The tour promoter said venues notified them they would not host a show with Macklemore on the bill.
Portnoy, a Boston-area native and prominent Patriots supporter, framed Kraft's move as rare accountability at a time when many venue owners and celebrities stay silent. His video and post landed amid a wave of donations: Macklemore pledged his $1 million in tour earnings to Palestinian aid groups and challenged Kraft to match it; Kraft later said Sheeran had already asked him to commit $2 million to humanitarian efforts in the region.
The episode has become another flashpoint in the post-October 7 debate over where criticism of Israel ends and antisemitism begins. For Portnoy, the line was already crossed long before Macklemore took the stage at MetLife.
