Comedian Amelia Dimoldenberg targeted singer Ed Sheeran as a world-famous red-headed puppet during her September 26 opening monologue on Saturday Night Live UK, seizing on the ongoing backlash surrounding the musician’s decision to drop rapper Macklemore from his Loop Tour.
Amelia Dimoldenberg Targets Ed Sheeran on SNL UK
Hosting the British sketch show’s September 26 episode, the creator of the viral interview series Chicken Shop Date opened her monologue by reflecting on her career before pivoting directly to the music industry controversy. Addressing the audience, the comedian delivered a sharp punchline aimed at the Thinking Out Loud singer.
During her first time hosting SNL on Saturday (26 September), Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg mentioned the dispute in her opening monologue. While recounting her path to the late-night sketch program, the 32-year-old Dimoldenberg stated she was incredibly privileged
to have reached this point and discussed some of the high-profile individuals she has interviewed for her well-known web series.
I'm incredibly privileged to have done so many interviews with people like Idris Elba, Cher, and even a world-famous redheaded puppet with a hand up his arse telling him what to say,
said Dimoldenberg as a photo of her and Elmo showed up on the screen. No, the other one,
she said.
As a photograph of Dimoldenberg alongside Sesame Street’s Elmo appeared on screen, she quickly corrected the visual punchline by telling the crowd, No, the other one, prompting the broadcast to swap the image for a photo of herself and Sheeran from his 2021 appearance on her YouTube series at Sam’s Chicken in London.
The Macklemore Tour Fallout Behind the Joke
The televised roast stems from intense public scrutiny over Sheeran’s Loop Tour. Earlier in September, rapper Macklemore was removed as an opening act following pro-Palestine remarks and performances of his protest track Hind’s Hall during two shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
In recent weeks, the 35-year-old Sheeran has been embroiled in controversy after Macklemore revealed he was dismissed from the singer-songwriter’s Loop tour because of pro-Palestine statements made at a previous show. Protesters gathered outside his first concert without Macklemore last week, and Sheeran’s other opening acts left the tour in solidarity.
Macklemore later asserted that Sheeran and his management team made the decision to drop him, though the rapper maintained that neither he nor Sheeran were victims given their platform and resources. In the wake of the dismissal, Sheeran’s remaining support acts withdrew from the tour in solidarity with the rapper.
During a tearful appearance, Sheeran addressed the crowd, reading a statement from an autocue.
A Pattern of Satire on British Television
The late-night sketch program has closely tracked the unfolding controversy. Ed Sheeran has once again become a target for Saturday Night Live UK, as the sketch show is not pulling any punches.
While Dimoldenberg recently announced that her digital dating show will conclude after more than a decade with a final run of episodes ending in October, her hosting debut on the British network brought the ongoing celebrity dispute squarely into late-night satire. Representatives for Sheeran did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the monologue.