Ed Sheeran deleted his Twitter account on Monday, July 17, just hours after his cameo on the season 7 premiere of Game of Thrones.
The “Shape of You” singer, 26, did not provide a public explanation, though some fans speculated that he might have taken down his page because many viewers of the HBO fantasy drama criticized his brief appearance as a Lannister soldier.
Game of Thrones fans were not shy about sharing their thoughts on Sheeran’s cameo. Some viewers took to Twitter to call the role “distracting” and “unnecessary,” while others praised the star for stepping out of his comfort zone. Despite the criticism, the episode boasted a record-breaking 16 million viewers.
Earlier this month, the two-time Grammy winner said he planned on using Twitter less in an attempt to avoid trolls. “There’s so much positivity out there,” he said on the Today show on July 6. “I’m just saying … as a human being, we always read the one negative [comment] and ignore the others and I don’t want to do that. It’s just foolish to do when there’s so much love out there in the world, to look at the negative stuff. I’m just choosing not to read it.”
Sheeran’s comments on the NBC morning show came after a report claimed that he was quitting Twitter because he was being attacked by Lady Gaga‘s fans. The “Joanne” singer, 31, came to Sheeran’s defense on July 5, tweeting, “What an incredible artist, I love Ed. @teddysphotos deserves all our love and respect like all humans do. I wish all people on the internet would be positive and loving and a part of creating an online community that is kind and empowering, not hateful and mean.”
Game of Thrones airs on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
