Kneecap Respond After Sharon Osbourne Blasts Coachella Stunt

The Irish rap outfit Kneecap have issued a response after Sharon Osbourne's recent lengthy missive calling for revocation of their work visas after the band used their Coachella platform to speak out against Israel.

Tensions between Israel and Palestine have spanned generations, but once again broke out into war after the Hamas attack on the 2023 Nova Music Festival that led to hostages being taken. Israel has since countered with military actions and instigated a blockade on humanitarian aid while demanding the release of the hostages. In the time since, many public figures have taken sides.

What Happened With Kneecap At Coachella 2025

Kneecap performed over both weekends at Coachella, but during the first weekend it was reported that projections sharing pro-Palestinian sentiments on their backdrop didn't make the set and their performance was cut short on the Coachella livestream.

During the second Coachella weekend, the band made sure their message got out. On a large screen behind the group, they shared their belief that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinian people and that it was being enabled by the U.S. government, before a final call to "Free Palestine" with another F-word message for Israel. While the performance wasn't streamed, the band did share their messaging on social media as well.

How Sharon Osbourne Responded to Kneecap's Coachella Statement

Weighing in on social media, Sharon Osbourne chastised Coachella officials for providing a platform for such messaging. "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," she shared in voicing her disappointment.

She called out Kneecap for their "projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech" and shared that she felt "this band openly support terrorist organizations."

Toward the end of her commentary, Osbourne questioned the decision making that went into booking the band and concluded her post stating, "I urge you to join me in advocating for the revocation of Kneeecap's work visa."

Her post was applauded and shared on social media by Disturbed frontman David Draiman who has been one of the biggest advocates for Israel in the rock and metal world, frequently using his social media platform to speak on issues concerning the war since the Nova Music Festival attack.

Draiman had previously extended an invite to have a conversation with Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong after the singer changed a lyric in "Jesus of Suburbia" during Coachella's opening weekend to reflect sympathy for the children of Palestine amidst the current conflict.

How Kneecap Responded to Sharon Osbourne

As word of Osbourne's rebuke against Coachella and Kneecap's actions at the event, Mo Chara of the group Kneecap shared his thoughts on the matter. As Deadline reports, the band was initially approached for comment by BBC News Northern Ireland and responded, "Statements aren't aggressive, murdering 20,000 children is though." The band's manager also reportedly stated on Irish radio that the group had received a mixture of praise and death threats over their Coachella actions, sharing that the latter was "too severe to get into."

Chara went further in depth about Osbourne's comments in speaking with Rolling Stone. He noted, “Her rant has so many holes in it that it hardly warrants a reply but she should listen to ‘War Pigs’ that was written by Black Sabbath (her husband)."

Chara dismissed the idea that Goldenvoice were unaware of their political intentions, noting that they've spoken openly about Palestine "at every single gig since the band’s formation, long before October 2023 as the oppression and brutal occupation of Palestine has been ongoing for 77 years.”

He added, "We believe we have an obligation to use our platform when we can to raise the issue of Palestine, and it was important for us to speak out at Coachella as the USA is the main funder and supplier of weapons to Israel as they commit genocide in Gaza. As I said from the stage, ‘the U.S. government could stop the genocide tomorrow.’ It’s important that young Americans hear and know it."

Chara told Rolling Stone further, "People can make their own decisions about whether our message is anti-Israel, but for us, it’s about their government’s sickening actions, not ordinary people. Our message is about ending the genocide and ending the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine."

He concluded, “We want people to take whatever action they can to stop the genocide. People can take what they want from our music, stopping the genocide is more important.”