Sharon Osbourne calls for Kneecap’s US visas to be revoked following Coachella
Sharon Osbourne has called for Irish trio Kneecap to lose their US work visas following the inclusion of pro-Palestinian messages in their Coachella set.
During their set, they used the screen behind them to state: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people”. It also read: “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes.” The final statement read: “Fuck Israel / Free Palestine.”
It came after their set on April 12th when the trio claimed that pro-Palestinian messaging wasn’t allowed to be featured on the screen on stage at this year’s Coachella, which they promised to amend. The same live stream was also cut short because of anti-Margaret Thatcher chants.
“Not the only thing that was cut – our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either,” Kneecap wrote on X following the performance. “Back next Friday Coachella and it’ll be sorted.”
As a response to Kneecap’s political statement, Osbourne took to X to condemn the band along with Goldenvoice, who organise Coachella, writing, “Coachella 2025 will be remembered as a festival that compromised its moral and spiritual integrity. Goldenvoice, the festival organizer, facilitated this by allowing artists to use the Coachella stage as a platform for political expression.”
Osbourne continued: “At a time when the world is experiencing significant unrest, music should serve as an escape, not a stage for political discourse. While festivals like Coachella showcase remarkable talent from around the globe, music’s primary purpose is to unite people. It should not be a venue for promoting terrorist organizations or spreading hate.”
The former X-Factor judge also aired her grievances with Green Day for changing the lyrics of ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ in support of the Palestinian people, which Osbourne feels would have been acceptable at their own headline show instead of a festival, writing, “While I respect their right to express their opinions, such discussions would have been more appropriate at their own concert, not at a festival.”
The music manager concluded by demanding Kneecap lose their right to work in the US: “I know for a fact that certain people in the industry had written to Goldenvoice, airing their concerns around the booking of Kneecap. I urge you to join me in advocating for the revocation of Kneecap’s work visa.”
Later this year, Kneecap will return to the US for a headline tour that begins in New York on October 1st. As of writing, the shows are still set to go ahead, with a spokesperson for the US State Department telling the BBC: “Due to privacy and other considerations and visa confidentiality, we generally will not comment on Department actions with respect to specific cases.”
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