Ed Sheeran's Cousin Brands Him a 'Snake' and 'Coward' in Blistering Piers Morgan Interview

Ed Sheeran is facing fire from inside his own family. His first cousin Jethro Sheeran — the British rapper known as Alonestar — appeared on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Friday, September 25, and launched a blistering attack on the “Shape of You” singer, branding him a “snake” and a “coward.”

The interview, which has since racked up millions of views on YouTube, centered on the ongoing controversy around Macklemore being dropped from Ed’s Loop Tour after the “Thrift Shop” rapper made pro-Palestinian remarks during a New Jersey performance. Ed’s team said the decision was made by the promoter following pressure from billionaire Robert Kraft and other stadium owners — a claim Jethro isn’t buying.

“We were pretty close. But early on, I saw the snake in him,” Jethro told Piers Morgan. “He’s very talented, and people think I’m jealous. But jealous of what? His looks? His guitar? His singing?”

“A cowardly move”

Jethro alleged that he took Ed on stage and into the studio “for the first time” early in his career, only for Ed to “completely leave everything that we built behind” after blowing up. He said the two haven’t spoken in six or seven years.

On the Macklemore fallout, Jethro doubled down: “I’ve witnessed him being a coward for almost ten years and lying. That’s just my own truth. I think it was a cowardly move to do it and blame the promoters.”

He added a wilder claim — that Ed instructed his lawyers to scrub a back catalogue of music the two wrote together off the internet — and said “80%” of the family stands by the attacks he’s been posting on social media.

Piers pushes back

Morgan didn’t let Jethro off easy, repeatedly pressing him on whether the whole thing was driven by jealousy. “Why don’t you let it go, Jethro? Seriously, man. Let it go,” Morgan said at one point, adding: “I think you’re very jealous of him. I think you’d love to be Ed Sheeran. And you’re not. You’re Jethro Sheeran.”

Jethro stood his ground: “I’m very happy being who I am. I swear that to God and my daughter’s life. Like, I am not jealous of Ed.”

Ed’s representatives have not publicly responded to Jethro’s claims.

The take

Family beef hitting the world’s biggest couch is must-watch TV — and Jethro played it perfectly. Whether it’s years of buried resentment or the slickest clout play of 2026, one thing’s for sure: “I saw the snake in him” is going to live in headlines for a while.

Is Jethro telling the truth, or chasing clout? Drop your take in the comments.