Sharon Osbourne says “pathetic” and “uneducated” Kneecap should “follow the master” and be more like Bono
Sharon Osbourne has once again hit out at Kneecap, describing them as “pathetic” and “uneducated”, as well as adding that they should be more like Bono when it comes to activism.
There has been backlash against the Irish hip-hop trio since their appearance at the 2025 edition of Coachella, where they led chants after projecting the slogan “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine” as well as giving a passionate speech about their support for Gaza and against the many deaths being suffered. It was a move that caused division online and is said to have “blindsided” festival organisers.
Later, past gig footage resurfaced of the band appearing to voice support for Hamas and Hezbollah as well as calling on fans to “kill their local MP”, which has led to the band becoming the subject of attention from counter-terror police in the UK.
While many have gone on to share their support for Kneecap and the “freedom of expression” – including Tom Morello, Brian Eno, Pulp, Fontaines D.C. and more signing an open letter to protect freedom of expression – one of the most vocal opponents to the band has been music manager Sharon Osbourne.
Shortly after their festival set, she called for a “revocation of Kneecap’s work visa” and claimed that their performance in California “compromised” the festival’s “moral and spiritual integrity”. The band then retaliated by saying: “Statements aren’t aggressive, murdering 20,000 children is though.”
Now, Sharon Osbourne has hit out at the band once again and branded the trio as “pathetic”, “uneducated” and “full of hate”.
“My whole stance is have your own stance politically, couldn’t give a damn what you believe in but don’t bring it to a musical festival where there’s peace. Music unites people, music doesn’t separate people,” she said in a new interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
“It’s all insane that this should be allowed to continue where there are young people, drinking or doing whatever they want to do, it’s their business, but don’t try to incite violence with their fist, attitude. Their whole attitude is one of anger, it’s not of peace.”
She also took aim at the band’s manager, Daniel Lambert – who recently defended the band by saying they “stand on the right side of history” – saying: “You can tell there’s not much up there”.
Reiterating her comments about wanting the members to have their US working visas revoked, Osbourne added: “There are enough problems. We don’t need, in America, this coming in. They are uneducated, when was the last time they went to the Middle East? They are using cliched slogans, nothing they are saying is original. They are not bringing anything to the table. Nothing except anger.”
“They should follow the masters, who are U2,” she then told Morgan. “Bono goes on, he talks about Palestine. He does it in peace. He’s pro-Palestine, that’s his opinion Bono, god bless him, but he does it in such a way that it doesn’t incite violence from a crowd.”
Kneecap still retain their right to work in the US – but the band are said to be seeking new sponsors to renew their visa for upcoming shows after being dropped by their booking agent.
The band’s anager Daniel Lambert has also responded to Osbourne’s latest comments by taking to X, and writing: “Sharon Osbourne led the charge on kneecap with totally false claims of ‘hate speech’ at Coachella when it was all factual information received with applause and empathy. Here she shows her true colours, frightening.”
Sharon Osbourne led the charge on kneecap with totally false claims of “hate speech” at coachella when it was all factual information received with applause and empathy.
Here she shows her true colours, frightening.pic.twitter.com/rXfQj2ODVV
— Daniel Lambert (@dlLambo) May 1, 2025
The comments about Bono being a “master” of sharing a balanced political outlook come after the U2 singer called for “peace and non-violence” on stage at The Sphere in Las Vegas last year. During one of his residency shows, he used the set to pay his respects to those killed during the October 7 attack at the Israeli music festival Supernova, and alter the lyrics to ‘Pride (In The Name Of Love)’. The move sparked particular backlash from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, who described Bono as “disgusting” and “a shit” for having a history of “sticking up for the Zionist entity”.
While Osbourne claimed that the band are “uneducated” about the conflict in Gaza, the comments at Coachella are by no means a new thing for the band.
Last year, for instance, they shared their ’10 rules to live by’, which included: “Be outspoken, leave your mark and stand up for your people. Stand up for Palestine, and stand up for oppressed people around the world.”
Later that year, member Móglaí Bap raised over £30,000 for Gaza food parcels by running 10k a day on tour, the trio made headlines for refusing to take off their Palestine badges in an appearance on Ireland’s Late Late Show, and arranged a Gig for Gaza charity show alongside Primal Scream and Paul Weller. They’ve also helped raise nearly £100,000 for a volunteer gym in the Aida Refugee Camp in Palestine.
The band also opened up about misconceptions around their messaging when speaking to NME as part of their feature on The Cover – and how they didn’t approved of violence. “Obviously I can’t speak for what happened before me [in Ireland],” said Chara, sharing his sympathy for what past generations went through. “But we don’t support violence as that doesn’t make any sense any more.”
The band’s on-stage comments have also led to them being investigated by the police. In one piece of footage being assessed by the authorities, one of the band members allegedly shouted “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah” while on stage in 2024. In another, the group allegedly called for the death of Conservative MPs.
The band have since denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah and have denied promoting violence against MPs. “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never OK. We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history,” read a recent statement.
“We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”
The situation has led to calls from MPs to have Kneecap booted off festival line-ups including TRNSMT and Glastonbury, as well as resulted in multiple shows being cancelled.
Kneecap were dropped from Cornwall’s Eden Project line-up last month, and went on to announce another show set for the same day, happening in Plymouth. The latter was then axed, and the band have since shared details of three other shows at a different venue in the city.
Similarly, the trio were dropped from two German festivals, but went on to share news of three headline shows across the country instead. Today (May 2), it was then confirmed that the three new dates had been scrapped as well due to the country’s strict hate speech laws – which also led to a Roger Waters show being cancelled in 2023.
For example, the pro-Palestine slogan “From the river to the sea” is considered anti-Israel hate speech in some German Courts and seen as a criminal offence.
As for the UK investigation, London’s Metropolitan Police have recently shared that they will continue to investigate the footage of the band.
As well as artists including Pulp, Fontaines D.C., IDLES, Massive Attack, Paul Weller, Primal Scream, Enter Shikari, English Teacher, The Pogues, Lankum, Toddla T, Sleaford Mods and Thin Lizzy, signing the aforementioned letter supporting the right to freedom of expression for musicians and artists, backing for Kneecap has also come from Massive Attack.
Robert Del Naja and co. – who themselves have been vocal in their support for Palestine for decades and have boycotted performing in Israel since 1999 – recently issued a statement supporting the trio and urging the focus to remain on what they call a “genocide” against the Palestinian people.
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