conv.

All stories
CultureQuiet 46h · day 3

Roxane Gay: Ed Sheeran and Macklemore expose the myth of celebrity neutrality

A NYT opinion piece argues that celebrities' claims of political neutrality function as self-protective cover rather than genuine impartiality.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 1d ago4 pieces241 likes & upvotes7 comments MastodonNewswiresBlueskyGoogle News

What to know

  • The essay centers on Ed Sheeran and Macklemore as opposing examples of how celebrities handle political engagement.
  • Gay's core argument is that celebrity 'neutrality' often functions as self-protective cover rather than genuine impartiality.
  • The evidence provided offers only the opinion piece and its promotion, without detail on what specific actions or statements by Sheeran or Macklemore prompted the comparison.

Roxane GayRoxane Gay NYT Opinion contributorEd SheeranEd Sheeran Musician, subject of the essayMacklemore Musician, subject of the essay

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in one hour at Sep 21, 4 AM; 4 pieces over 3 days (2 articles · 2 posts) Sep 21, 4 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quiet 123
Sep 22yesterdaynow · 4:44 AM ET
  1. 3

    Piece circulates further via syndication

    The opinion column continued to circulate through aggregators including Google News under the New York Times byline.

    1. 1 outlet Opinion | Ed Sheeran, Macklemore and Why Politics Is So Hard for Celebrities

      first by The New York Times, 1d ago

  2. 2

    Gay promotes the essay on Bluesky

    Gay shared the piece on Bluesky, summarizing it as being about the fantasy of political neutrality and the politics of self-interest.

    “For the NYT I wrote about Ed Sheeran, the fantasy of political neutrality and the politics of self-interest…”
    — Roxane Gay
    • roxanegay.bsky.social

      For the NYT I wrote about Ed Sheeran, the fantasy of political neutrality and the politics of self-interest

      roxanegay.bsky.socialBluesky2d ago241▲view on Bluesky ↗
  3. 1

    Roxane Gay publishes NYT opinion on celebrity political neutrality

    Gay's piece for the New York Times uses Ed Sheeran and Macklemore to argue that celebrities' claimed neutrality is a form of self-interested shelter rather than true impartiality.

    “Celebrities use the facade of neutrality as shelter, as a place to take refuge.”
    — Roxane Gay
    1. 1 outlet Ed Sheeran, Macklemore and Why Politics Is So Hard for Celebrities

      first by NYT, 2d ago

    • When Political Reality Collides With Ed Sheeran https://www. nytimes.com/2026/09/21/opinion /ed-sheeran-macklemore-politics.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Opinion @ opinion-newyorktimes

      newyorktimes@flipboard.comMastodon2d agoview on Mastodon ↗

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 2 · verbatim