Amelia Dimoldenberg teases Ed Sheeran over tour row in SNL UK debut
Amelia Dimoldenberg used her SNL UK hosting debut on Sept. 26 to say goodbye to Chicken Shop Date and take a swipe at Ed Sheeran.
She reflected on ending the YouTube interview series after more than 12 years. She then turned to Sheeran, a former guest, and the row around his current Loop Tour, Billboard.
The sharpest gag came with a setup about a “world-famous red-headed puppet.” A photo of Sesame Street’s Elmo appeared behind her. She waved it off.
“No, the other one,” she said. A photo of her with Sheeran then came up.
That picture dates back to November 2021. Sheeran filmed his Chicken Shop Date at Sam’s Chicken in London that month.
Dimoldenberg did not name the Loop Tour dispute directly. The joke landed because the story has followed Sheeran through September.
The tour ran into controversy in early September after Macklemore was removed from the United States leg. Macklemore had opened for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5, where he chanted “Free Palestine” and performed “Hind’s Hall.”
Sheeran later played two shows in Philadelphia without any opening acts. He told the crowd he wanted concerts to focus on unity and humanity rather than politics.
Macklemore has since announced his own dates. His Free Palestine Tour lists Dublin on Oct. 26, Paris on Oct. 29 and London on Oct. 30, with proceeds to benefit organisations providing humanitarian support for Palestinians.
SNL UK has kept returning to Sheeran. In the Sept. 19 episode, cast member Annabel Marlow played him as a “fence-sitter” in a sketch with King Charles and an AI assistant modelled on Princess Diana.
Its Weekend Update segment went further with a one-line jab: “Will Sheeran have to cancel the tour? There’s a very real risk that he won’t,” Mashable.
SNL UK published Dimoldenberg’s turn to YouTube as “Amelia Dimoldenberg Monologue | SNL UK.” The Sept. 26 show was her first time hosting.
For viewers who know Dimoldenberg only from short clips, the monologue worked as a quick introduction. Past guest, long-running series, and a topical joke, all in a few minutes.
