Dave Portnoy says Robert Kraft had every right to tell Macklemore: not in my stadium.
The Barstool Sports founder threw his full support behind the New England Patriots owner after Kraft objected to Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium following the rapper’s increasingly political “Free Palestine” performances on Ed Sheeran’s tour.
“Macklemore is essentially turning this into a political rally,” Portnoy said, pointing to Palestinian flags and graphic war imagery displayed during the rapper’s set.
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For Portnoy, the fight goes beyond one slogan.
He pointed to Macklemore’s past controversies, including a 2014 costume featuring an exaggerated fake nose, beard and wig that critics called an antisemitic caricature.
Macklemore apologized at the time for how the costume appeared while denying that he intended to portray a Jewish stereotype.
Portnoy also noted Kraft’s long-running campaign against antisemitism.
“If you don’t know, Bob Kraft has spent the last ten years of his life aggressively fighting antisemitism and hate,” Portnoy said.
Kraft founded the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism and has poured tens of millions of dollars into efforts aimed at confronting anti-Jewish hatred.
That made Macklemore performing at Gillette a nonstarter in Portnoy’s eyes.
He described the rapper as effectively coming “into Bob Kraft’s house” and spitting “in his face.”
“This isn’t freedom of speech, homie. He owns the stadium. It’s his house,” Portnoy said. “Would you have a party and invite someone over who is going to spew what you consider hatred?”
Kraft has said his objection was not simply to Macklemore saying “Free Palestine,” but to what he described as the rapper’s broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.
Watch the clip below:
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. pic.twitter.com/IbXftczfef
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 16, 2026
