Claim:
Musician Macklemore previously wore a Jewish caricature costume incorporating antisemitic tropes during a performance.
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<p class="fact_check_info_description">During a May 2014 concert, Macklemore performed while wearing a disguise that included a prominent hooked nose, an artificial dark beard, a black bowl-cut wig styled similarly to a kippah, and attire reminiscent of traditional Orthodox Jewish dress. Following public criticism from observers and Jewish advocates, the musician published a comprehensive apology on his personal website, stating he was unaware the outfit mirrored antisemitic imagery, and directed readers to the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL accepted his apology, stating they believed he acted without malicious intent.</p>
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<p>Amidst the announcement that Macklemore would no longer serve as an opening act for Ed Sheeran's tour in September 2026, discussion resurfaced online regarding a past incident involving a controversial stage costume. The tour changes followed Macklemore's public <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/robert-kraft-solicitation-epstein-connection/">statements supporting Palestinian rights</a> during a live show.</p>
<p>Social media platforms—including <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DdW7mn_FMBc/?img_index=1">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3793486660793934&set=a.966757076800254">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://x.com/ProjectLiberal/status/2099557562970501257">X</a>—circulated claims about the historical performance. Actor <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0539651/?_ssoLoop=1">Josh Malina</a>, who is Jewish, addressed the controversy <a href="https://x.com/JoshMalina/status/2099628393335820612">via X</a>, writing, "Nah. Don't defend this guy" (<a href="https://perma.cc/C559-QF5E">archived</a>):</p>
<p>Malina posted archival images showing an individual—identified as Macklemore—wearing a fake black beard, a bowl-cut wig, and an exaggeratedly large hooked nose, alongside a dark jacket and trousers similar to <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hasidic_Men_on_Street.jpg">attire worn by some Orthodox Jewish men</a>. One photograph also captured the performer with an outstretched arm, which some users interpreted as a Nazi salute.</p>
<p>Inquiries quickly flooded in from readers seeking verification regarding the authenticity of these reports.</p>
<p>Records confirm the claims and photographs are genuine. On May 16, 2014, Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (known professionally as Macklemore) wore the outfit during <span>the launch event for an exhibition titled "</span><a href="https://www.mopop.org/exhibitions/spectacle-the-music-video"><span>Spectacle: The Music Video</span></a><span>," hosted at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture, previously known as the </span><a href="https://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-culture/2016/11/emp-museum-rebrands-as-museum-of-pop-culture"><span>EMP Museum</span></a><span>.</span></p>
<p><span>While images show the musician with his arm raised, consensus is lacking on whether the gesture was an intentional reference to a Nazi salute, as some online commentators alleged.</span></p>
<p>Three days later, on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140522234411/https://macklemore.com/">May 19, 2014</a>, Macklemore issued a public statement addressing the outfit and offering an apology.</p>
<p>Efforts were made to contact Macklemore, Josh Malina, and representatives from the <a href="https://www.adl.org">Anti-Defamation League</a> regarding the resurgence of these images, and responses are pending.</p>
<h2>Historical Parallels in the Imagery</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/costumed-macklemore-performs-at-the-opening-night-of-news-photo/491711267">Numerous</a> <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/costumed-macklemore-performs-at-the-opening-night-of-news-photo/491711293?adppopup=true">photographs</a> <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/macklemore-arrives-in-a-cadillac-at-the-opening-night-of-news-photo/491711191?adppopup=true">documenting</a> <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/costumed-macklemore-performs-at-the-opening-night-of-news-photo/491711375?adppopup=true">the</a> <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/costumed-macklemore-performs-at-the-opening-night-of-news-photo/491711373">event</a>—including <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/macklemore-and-ryan-lewis-arrive-at-the-opening-night-of-news-photo/491711383">those</a> shared by Malina—remain available via Getty Images, alongside a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htpf2taI_qg">performance video</a> published on May 21, 2014.</p>
<p>Critics noted that the costume heavily mirrored long-standing antisemitic iconography. Historical comparisons include an 1893 cover illustration from the French periodical *La Libre Parole Illustrée*, the supplement to <a href="https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn538832">La Libre Parole</a>:</p>
<img class="img-lg" src="https://mediaproxy.snopes.com/width/600?url=https://media.snopes.com/2026/09/did_macklemore_once_perform_in_antisemitic_jewish_caricature_costume.jpg" alt="Historical French newspaper illustration depicting an antisemitic caricature."/>
<p><strong>(Albert Esnault, La Libre Parole Illustrée, via Wikimedia Commons)</strong></p>
<p>The publication featured the nationalist slogan "La France aux Français!" ("France for the French!"), which was frequently tied to far-right politics and antisemitism. The 19th-century drawing depicted a figure with a patched coat, clutching the globe with claw-like fingers and toes while currency accumulated around him. The character wore a dark beard, a hooked nose, and a cap resembling a kippah, accompanied by the caption "leur patrie" ("their fatherland").</p>
<p>Such imagery traditionally relied on harmful tropes portraying Jewish people as rootless outsiders tied to financial greed. Similar themes appeared in later caricatures, such as the "<a href="https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0447/ch2.xhtml">Happy Merchant</a>" drawing published in the 1992 American white supremacist publication *WAR* (White Aryan Resistance), created by cartoonist Nick Bougas, which featured exaggerated facial features and stereotypical hand-rubbing gestures.</p>
<h2>Macklemore's Response and Apology</h2>
<p>In his initial defense, Macklemore stated that he frequently utilizes disguises for performances and that the local costume shop routinely stocked oversized prosthetic noses. He explained that he selected black hair simply because it contrasted sharply with his natural appearance to ensure anonymity.</p>
<p>He noted that onlookers compared his appearance to figures like Ringo Starr or Abraham Lincoln, maintaining, "I wasn't attempting to mimic any culture, nor resemble one. A 'Jewish stereotype' never crossed my mind."</p>
<p>The statement concluded with a direct apology: "I truly apologize to anybody that I may have offended. I hope this better explains the situation and my point of view."</p>
<p>He also included a link directing visitors to educational resources provided by the <a href="https://www.adl.org">Anti-Defamation League</a>.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/20/macklemore-adl-antisemitism-row-costume">The Guardian</a>, ADL director Abe Foxman acknowledged the apology, stating: "We welcome Macklemore's apology for wearing a costume that, regardless of his motives, reminded many people of an antisemitic caricature. We take him at his word that he did not have any ill intent and unreservedly accept his apology."</p>
<p><span>In separate reporting from 2023, Snopes verified that </span><a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/macklemore-post-on-genocide-in-palestine/"><span>Macklemore addressed the conflict in Gaza</span></a><span> online, simultaneously condemning Hamas' </span><a href="https://www.snopes.com/articles/465623/oct-7-hamas-attack-and-israeli-retaliation/"><span>October 7, 2023 assault</span></a><span> as an "abomination."</span></p>