Ed Sheeran defends Game of Thrones cameo after nearly ten years

In Season 7 of A Game of Thrones, popular British musician Ed Sheeran made a surprise cameo as a Lannister soldier, entering Westeros years after showrunner David Benioff tried to surprise actress Arya Maisie Williams, who was a “huge fan”.

While it was undoubtedly a dream come true for Williams (just look at her smile in the BTS photos), the scene sparked so much backlash from fans that Ed Sheeran deleted his Twitter account the day after the episode aired. Nearly a decade later, he opened up on the Friends Keep Secret podcast (via Entertainment Weekly ) about the backlash he faced and how confusing it was to be at the center of one of the show's biggest controversies.

“I feel like I definitely ruffled some feathers on Game of Thrones,” he said. “I said, 'People love the show. If someone is asked to be on the show, they'll do it immediately.' I said yes. I loved doing it.”

“I think it was quite disruptive”

Thinking about why people were so outraged by the scene, Sheeran admitted he was “very ubiquitous and just everywhere” at the time, so it was probably “pretty jarring” to see him step into a fantasy world as oppressive and brutal as Westeros.

However, he did not expect such a passionate outcry from fans and a wave of harassment so harsh that he was forced to cut himself off from social networks. “Members of Coldplay [were] at the Red Wedding,” he explained. [Gary Lightbody] from Snow Patrol is there. Chris Stapleton is in it as a White Walker.”

Sheeran has a point, but he admitted his set was more “jerky” because of how prominently he performed. Other musicians appeared in the background in small cameos, rather than coming face-to-face with the main characters in more prominent roles. Still, it goes without saying that no matter how out of place the scene or cameo may have seemed, hurling slurs at Sheeran certainly wasn't the answer.