Ed Sheeran Shows Support For Bullied New Zealand ‘X Factor’ Contestant

Is there a softer soul in the pop music game than Ed Sheeran? A day after tweeting “Happy Mother’s Day to all the great mums out there” (March 15 is Mother’s Day in the U.K.), Sheeran showed his support for the New Zealand X Factor contestant who was torn to shreds by judges Willy Moon and Natalia Kills.

This weekend, the couple berated contestant Joe Irvine after they both felt he’d copied Moon’s look by sporting a well-tailored suit with slicked-back hair. “I feel like you’re going to stitch someone’s skin to your face and then kill everyone in the audience,” Moon offered. Here’s what Ed had to say:

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The media company behind the show felt the same way and promptly fired both Kills and Moon.

‘X Factor New Zealand’ Judges Sacked After ‘Bullying’ Contestant

TV3 said it received “a huge amount of feedback about comments made by our judges,” and it had reportedly come under “extreme pressure” from sponsors to fire the pair after their attack on Irvine, which it described as “bullying” on its Facebook page.

Here’s the outburst that got Kills and Moon fired:

Don’t worry, Joe; Ed’s got your back.

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