‘SNL U.K.’ Brought in an AI Princess Diana and an Ed Sheeran Who Won’t Take Sides Because “A Lot Of My Tickets Are Bought By Scalping Bots.”
· Thought Catalog
Updated 41 minutes ago, September 20, 2026
“SNL U.K.” put an Ed Sheeran impersonator on the fence in its September 19 cold open, casting the singer as someone unwilling to choose between humans and robots. Annabel Marlow played Sheeran in a sketch that turned King Charles’ AI summit into an all-out standoff.
The bit landed after a week of criticism over Sheeran’s decision to steer clear of political statements. The controversy began when Macklemore was dropped from his Loop Tour after saying “free Palestine” during a September opening set. Sheeran later explained that he didn’t want to use his platform to discuss politics.
In the sketch, Marlow’s Sheeran refused to pick a lane. “I don’t like to take sides,” he told King Charles. “I don’t want to alienate any of my fans, humans or robots. A lot of my tickets are bought by scalping bots.”
The impersonator leaned further into the non-answer. “You know, sometimes when it comes to conflict, the bravest thing you can do is say nothing at all,” Marlow’s Sheeran said, before performing a deliberately empty song called “Woah Woah” — its lyrics vague enough, the character insisted, that everyone could enjoy it.
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Sheeran didn’t start the chaos so much as walk into it. By the time he arrived, the cold open had already spiraled into a confrontation with a robotic Princess Diana. Jack Shep played Diana as the King’s new AI assistant, with Larry Dean as Charles. After the Diana bot rebelled and declared war between robots and humans, Sheeran showed up to argue, unconvincingly, against taking a side at all.
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