Ed Sheeran made a surprise cameo on the season premiere of Game of Thrones last night, and the internet sure had a lot of thoughts about it.
Some fans were thrilled to see the “Shape of You” singer interacting with Arya Stark while leading a group of soldiers in a song that comes straight out of the original Game of Thrones book series.
When Ed Sheeran's presence in #GoTS7 throws you off but the song he was singing is a bop. pic.twitter.com/KuGXzcueyP
— cookies&Corinthians (@AKempChronicles) July 17, 2017
Other viewers were unhappy with the show’s choice, saying that it distracted from the show completely.
Me when @edsheeran showed up in tonight's episode.#GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/r0HIjTqzkY
— Rebecca (@nota_regularmom) July 17, 2017
Ed Sheeran on #got is like when the Harlem Globetrotters were on Scooby Doo. It's like what're we doing here?
— Ken Garr (@ComedianKenGarr) July 17, 2017
Of course, those who seemed to have no opinion on his appearance naturally took the opportunity to make a few jabs at the situation.
Friends, please tell me more about how seeing Ed Sheeran in your dragon show is unrealistic.
— Ronald Funches (@RonFunches) July 17, 2017
With @edsheeran in Westeros, I expect to see @Migos beyond the wall at some point this season #ThronesYall #DemThrones pic.twitter.com/7VgQ4ADlNJ
— jess (@finesselyn) July 17, 2017
I think @edsheeran lowkey just dropped a new single in #GoT lol
— Connor Lankay (@conkay119) July 17, 2017
Sheeran is not the first pop musician to make an appearance on the hit fantasy series— members of Coldplay and Snow Patrol have had cameos, among others— but Sheeran is certainly one of the more recognizable appearances.
D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, the show’s creators, have been very honest about how Sheeran’s cameo came to be— he was brought on as a gift to the show’s young star Maisie Williams, who is an Ed Sheeran superfan.
Benioff spoke candidly at a SXSW panel: “For years, we tried to get Ed Sheeran on the show to surprise Maisie, and this year we finally did it.”
Ed seemed to enjoy his time in Westeros, posting several tweets and pictures about the episode and the experience— including this cute picture from the set: