Jethro Sheeran, a musician known by the stage name Alonestar and Ed Sheeran's older cousin, has fiercely attacked his relative on social media. He described him as a 'bad man', 'coward' and 'selfish person with a malicious and cunning nature'.
In a post on Instagram, Jethro Sheeran wrote: 'I am ashamed of my cousin Ed. It is over. The world and his fans can now see what he is really like.' He accused Ed Sheeran of deceiving him, mocking his mental health, and preventing him from earning money from their joint songs.
Jethro Sheeran has long claimed to have helped Ed Sheeran at the very beginning of his career. According to him, they wrote songs together during school holidays, and he took the younger relative to the studio, allowing him to perform alongside him. Ed Sheeran appeared in Jethro's recordings, and among their joint works was the 2010 track Raise Em Up. Jethro Sheeran participated in the early versions of several of Ed's songs.
Their dispute came to public attention in 2024 over the song Raise Up. Jethro Sheeran wanted to re-release their old collaboration using Ed's name, and the image on the cover, but Warner Music's lawyers requested that Ed's name and likeness be removed from the promotional material. Jethro Sheeran agreed to change the cover to avoid legal action, but claimed that behind the scenes it was not just the record label involved but also his famous relative. He publicly told Ed Sheeran to 'leave me alone' and stated that Ed was obstructing his use of the music they had created together, the revenue from which helped him support his family. Ed Sheeran did not publicly engage in the dispute with his cousin at that time.
At the end of 2024, Jethro Sheeran said he had spoken with Ed and his manager, and that they had resolved their differences. 'It is resolved. I spoke with him and his manager. We are good,' he said at the time. He claimed that much of the media coverage of their fight was inaccurate or taken out of context, stating: 'Ed and I have no problems. We are good. Everything is resolved.' He added that Ed is still his family.
Now, Jethro Sheeran claims that Ed let him down after achieving great success. In a new post, he wrote: 'I have known him all my life, and he started with music by my side. I took him to my stages. I took him to my first studio, sang on his early songs and did everything to help him.' He further stated that Ed 'only cares about himself' and that in public, he creates a false image of himself.
This is a matter of Jethro's personal claims, which have not been independently verified. Ed Sheeran has so far not responded publicly to the allegations made by his cousin.
