Javier Bardem Backs Petition To Remove Pink As UNICEF Ambassador After Macklemore Row

Actor Javier Bardem has backed a petition calling for Pink to be removed as a UNICEF ambassador, after the singer faced criticism for sharing a post that objected to rapper Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian comments during an Ed Sheeran concert.

Bardem shared posts promoting the Change.org petition on his Instagram Stories on September 21, 2026, while UNICEF has not publicly responded to the campaign.

The dispute began after Macklemore performed at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5 while opening for Sheeran’s Loop Tour. Macklemore expressed support for Palestinians during his performance, including saying “Free Palestine,” and Pink later shared a post criticizing his remarks, turning a disagreement over the concert into a wider debate about her role as a UNICEF ambassador.

Why did Pink face backlash?

Pink shared a post from the @Stop_Antisemitism account that described Macklemore’s comments as “anti-Israel propaganda” and objected to Jewish fans hearing the message during a concert. She also shared memes after criticism of her repost, including one that said, “Being liked by everyone is a clown’s job.”

The backlash later shifted from Pink’s comments about Macklemore to whether her position as a UNICEF ambassador was compatible with the views she had expressed online.

A Change.org petition argues that UNICEF ambassadors should promote humanitarian values regardless of nationality or political affiliation. It calls on UNICEF to “hold its ambassadors accountable” and remove Pink from her official role. The petition had received more than 160,000 signatures, with the exact total changing as the campaign continued.

What did Javier Bardem do?

Bardem, who has publicly expressed support for Palestinians, amplified the campaign by sharing posts about the petition with his Instagram followers on Sept. 21.

The actor’s action does not itself change Pink’s UNICEF status. The petition is an online campaign, and UNICEF had not announced any decision to remove Pink at the time of the supplied reports.

The campaign therefore centers on a question about the responsibilities of a celebrity humanitarian ambassador rather than an announced change to Pink’s position within UNICEF.

What has Pink said about the controversy?

Pink later addressed the backlash directly in an Instagram post on September 11. She argued that sharing someone else’s post did not necessarily mean she endorsed every part of it.

“A repost isn’t a statement, and a meme isn’t a spine,” Pink wrote, adding that she wanted people to respond to what she actually said rather than assumptions based on material she shared.

She also discussed her work with UNICEF and said she had spent a decade working with children affected by conflict. “I’ve spent a decade as a UNICEF ambassador for kids who didn’t choose the country or the war they were born into, and I have grieved every one of them, on both sides of that fence,” she wrote.

Pink has not publicly responded specifically to the petition seeking her removal, according to reports.

How did Macklemore respond?

Macklemore later addressed the wider controversy in an Instagram statement, saying that Pink, Sheeran, and he were in a different position from people directly affected by the conflict.

“We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families,” Macklemore wrote. His statement received almost eight million likes, according to the supplied report.

The rapper was subsequently removed from the remaining U.S. dates of Sheeran’s tour. The promoter said venues had indicated they would not allow the concerts to continue with Macklemore on the lineup, while Sheeran later said the decision was not his.

What has Ed Sheeran said?

Sheeran addressed the controversy during his first show after the dispute, speaking to the crowd in Philadelphia about what he described as mistakes in how he handled the situation.

“I have tried in my career to not be a political commentator at any time, because I want my shows to be about unity, not division, and humanity, not politics. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I can’t hide how I feel about it anymore,” Sheeran said.

He said he was speaking with people across different perspectives to understand how he could make a useful contribution to people affected by the conflict.