Saturday Night Live UK is taking another jab at Ed Sheeran amid the controversy surrounding his Loop Tour.
During her opening monologue on the Sept. 26 episode of the British spinoff, Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg reflected on the end of her popular YouTube interview series, which she recently announced would conclude after more than 12 years.
On Chicken Shop Date, the English comedian sits down with celebrities for awkward, deadpan dates at chicken shops. The series has featured some of music’s biggest stars, including Paul McCartney, Jack Harlow, Charli xcx, Rosalía and Yungblud.
“I’m incredibly privileged to have done so many interviews with people like Idris Elba, Cher, and even a world-famous red-headed puppet with a hand up his a— telling him what to say,” Dimoldenberg told the audience as a photo of her alongside Sesame Street‘s Elmo appeared on screen.
She then gestured for a different photo, saying, “No, the other one,” as an image of her alongside Sheeran flashed on the screen.
The joke refers to Sheeran’s appearance on Chicken Shop Date in November 2021, when Dimoldenberg met the singer at Sam’s Chicken in London.
The SNL UK jab comes as Sheeran’s Loop Tour has faced controversy following the removal of Macklemore from the U.S. leg after the rapper made “Free Palestine” remarks during his opening set in early September. Macklemore was originally scheduled to open Sheeran’s U.S. shows but was removed from the tour following his two performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sept. 4 and 5, where he chanted “Free Palestine” and performed his politically charged protest track “Hind’s Hall.”
SNL UK had already poked fun at Sheeran on Sept. 19 episode, when cast member Annabel Marlow portrayed the singer-songwriter as a “fence-sitter” caught between humans and AI in a sketch featuring King Charles and a rogue AI assistant modeled after Princess Diana.
In the aftermath, Sheeran performed two shows in Philadelphia without any opening acts, telling the crowd that he wanted his concerts to focus on unity and humanity rather than politics.
Macklemore has since announced a Free Palestine Tour, with shows scheduled for Dublin on Oct. 26, Paris on Oct. 29 and London on Oct. 30. Proceeds from the concerts will benefit organizations providing humanitarian and other support for Palestinians.
Watch Dimoldenberg’s SNL UK monologue below.
