This week, Pink shared a post accusing Macklemore of turning a “mainstream event into a political nightmare” and saying, “Concertgoers are owed apologies and refunds.”
Her decision to support the demands quickly generated a backlash of its own.
Critics pointed to Pink’s long history of speaking publicly about political and social issues and questioned why she appeared to object to Macklemore using a concert platform for advocacy.
“This is actually so heartbreaking to see from someone I used to look up to,” one person commented.
“A lot of people’s true colors are coming out lately, huh?” said another.
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“The woman wrote Dear Mr. President and performed it for years. Now suddenly getting political during a show is a problem? Super disappointed in her,” wrote a third.
“So it’s okay if she is political, but if other musicians are, that’s bad. Got it,” a fourth mirrored.
“Why do artists always choose the wrong side of history?” said a fifth.
The debate intensified as Pink seemed to double down on her take with a series of Instagram stories about being “unbothered” by the outrage.
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“Being liked by everyone is a clown’s job,” one of her stories read. Another said, “I don’t just say wild things on social media. In real life, I say them with eye contact.”
“‘What do you mean?’ Probably what I f**king said,” read another story. One more said, “If they want to paint you as the villain, then post.”
“If my honesty offends you, imagine how much I can't stand your bulls**t,” read one more.
Assuming these stories were Pink’s response to the backlash, netizens continued mouthing off at her.
“I’d have to say, in a psychological sphere, that makes her look like she is bothered,” one trolled.
“She thinks he's being edgy with these tumbler a** quotes. What a Karen,” mocked another.
Many went for her music as well, calling it “mid” and “cringe.”
“Pink makes the kind of music 40-something couples post on Facebook Reels right after a massive fight,” one joked.
“Pink makes music for women who like to start fights with anyone. Their partner. Someone at work. Girl working the grocery counter. Anyone,” another offered.
A third said, “The only people who care about her are middle-aged moms.”
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Meanwhile, Macklemore also stood firm on his stance, sharing a video of his speech from the concert, writing, “Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”
His post has amassed over 5 million views and 154,000 likes, with thousands coming to his support.
Some even argued that, given Sheeran and Macklemore are close friends, and the latter has been saying similar things at his own concerts for years, it is unlikely the Shape of You singer wasn’t aware of the opening act's content.
“I can't imagine Ed ‘not knowing’ his beliefs, or Macklemore accepting the position thinking Ed wouldn't approve of this message,” one debated. “Calling for Ed to punish him for this is so silly.”
However, the dispute soon moved beyond the Macklemore debacle and segued into previous controversies that plagued Pink’s career.
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Some brought up her rumored feud with Christina Aguilera, which started during their 2001 collaboration on Lady Marmalade, alongside Mýa and Lil’ Kim.
Tensions reportedly began when producer Ron Fair appeared to favor Aguilera for the song’s most prominent vocal part. Pink later recalled confronting him over the decision.
In 2017, Pink accused Aguilera of swinging at her in a club: “We were super young and super new at the whole thing, and I think I'm an alpha, and she's an alpha.”
Even though they claimed to have reconciled in the past decade, Pink occasionally made comments on social media that many thought were shade at Aguilera.
“I’ll never stop being amused that of all the women from that era, no one talked more s**t about other women or treated her peers worse than Pink,” one said.
Another wrote, “Pink constantly made fun of and mocked any woman who was blonde and s**ual. She really is the a**hole, and I don’t see how people can get it twisted.”
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Viewers also freshly blasted her 2006 music video, Stupid Girls, which featured exaggerated parodies of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, and Mary-Kate Olsen, among others.
Pink said at the time that the goal was to portray the pressure on women to prioritize appearance and materialism and to criticize diet, beauty, and celebrity culture.
However, a large chunk of her fanbase believed that she was simply mocking the women who participated in those.
Paris Hilton herself famously criticized it in her 2023 book, Paris: The Memoir.
“We didn’t realize it back then, but Stupid Girls was an ultimate pick-me anthem,” one netizen said after the recent controversy. Another wrote, “She built her career on shaming other women.”