We’re closer to the artists we love than ever before.
Gone are the days when we had to rely on gossip magazines or word of mouth for entertainment news. Today, musicians, actors, writers and other public figures can speak directly to their fans, sharing their thoughts, beliefs and personal lives at the touch of a button.
In some ways, it’s a beautiful thing. Art makes us feel, and there’s something special about being invited into the inner world of a performer we admire.
But that access comes at a cost. Sometimes, we discover things about our favourite artists that leave a sour taste in our mouths.
The singer has faced a backlash after rapper Macklemore was dropped from his tour following pro-Palestinian statements during a performance. Sheeran says the decision was made by the tour promoter, not him, but several supporting acts have since withdrawn in protest.
The controversy has coincided with falling resale ticket prices, while Sheeran has publicly apologised for mistakes made during the tumultuous week.
It raises a question that fans across every fandom will eventually confront: can you separate the art from the artist?
Can you love the art but not the artist?
Macquarie University philosopher Professor Mark Alfano says the answer depends partly on what the artist has done, and whether their behaviour is reflected in their work.
“If you go to a cathedral, it probably took 150 years to make and there were hundreds or thousands of people involved and probably some of them were terrible people,” Professor Alfano says.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate a cathedral. With contemporary music it’s not going to be thousands of people, but probably dozens.
“It depends on the level of involvement of the person that you have in mind, and also whether the work itself is expressive of what is morally problematic about them or independent of that.
“If you find out that, for example, someone didn’t pay child support and they also wrote good songs that have nothing to do with children, that’s a very different story from someone expressing Nazi ideology.”
When fandom becomes uncomfortable
Sheeran is hardly the first celebrity to discover that public statements can alienate fans.
But there’s a difference between disagreeing with an artist’s political views and grappling with serious criminal behaviour.
Take as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who was sentenced to 50 months in prison in October 2025 after being convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs spent decades shaping the music industry, working with artists including Notorious B.I.G., Jennifer Lopez and Mary J. Blige.
For fans who grew up listening to his music, the question is whether pressing play on his songs means overlooking his actions – or whether the music can still have value independent of its creator.
And what about the countless other artists whose careers he helped build? Should their work become tainted by association?
Professor Alfano suggests that artistic talent and moral character don’t always go hand in hand.
“If a white supremacist cooks you dinner, they might make a good dinner,” he says.
“They might be a perfectly good cook and in the same way if someone who’s a misogynist or a xenophobe or antisemite makes a nice stained glass window that doesn’t express their prejudiced attitudes, then I don’t see what’s wrong with appreciating that aspect of them.”
The challenge, then, is recognising that someone can create something beautiful without necessarily being someone we admire.
But appreciating their work is one thing. Continuing to support them financially is another.
Putting your money where your mouth is
Few fictional worlds have had the cultural impact of Harry Potter.
Since the first book was published in 1997, millions of readers have fallen under its spell, with the series spawning blockbuster films, stage productions, merchandise and tourist attractions.
For an entire generation, being a Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff is part of their identity. The books have shaped childhoods, inspired friendships and created a shared cultural language that extends far beyond the pages.
But author J.K. Rowling’s increasingly public arguments over gender identity politics and transgender rights have alienated some fans.
Can fans continue to love a childhood world that has meant so much to them while rejecting the opinions of the adult who created it?
And does buying another book, streaming a film or visiting a Harry Potter attraction amount to supporting positions you oppose?
Professor Alfano argues there’s an important distinction between enjoying something you already own and actively spending money on its creator.
“If you’ve already got the books on the shelf, that’s very different from going out and spending money on them,” he says.
“There’s supporting, and there’s appreciating. I think these are quite different. If you’re giving money or walking around with merch, that’s one thing.
“If you just watch the movie that you already have on DVD at home, that’s quite different. I think that putting it in terms of guilt is often not very helpful. I would put it more in terms of actions that people take.”
Rather than agonising over whether we should feel guilty about enjoying a beloved book, film or song, Professor Alfano suggests considering what we personally choose to do with our own money, time and influence.
“J.K. Rowling doesn’t care how you feel. Trans people who are having their rights stripped away also don’t really care how you feel. They just want their rights. It’s more a matter of action as far as I’m concerned.
“Are you voting in ways that support trans rights? Are you donating to charities? Are you working with people? Are you befriending people? That’s to me where the rubber meets the road. And, what’s going on in my head, whether I feel guilty privately, doesn’t really make a difference.”
For fans wrestling with their conscience, that offers a different way to tackle the problem.
You might not be able to change how a song makes you feel, or erase the memories attached to a childhood favourite.
But you can decide what art – and which artists – you choose to support in the future.
