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Fact check: Dua Lipa has dropped her agent David Levy after he signed a letter calling to stop KNEECAP from performing at Glastonbury, due to their pro-Palestine activism true or false
Executive Summary
Reports conflict: several outlets in September 2025 reported that Dua Lipa dropped or “dumped” agent David Levy after he signed a letter asking that Northern Irish rap group Kneecap be barred from Glastonbury, while Dua Lipa publicly denied she fired Levy and said they parted ways in 2019. The available reporting shows two competing narratives — industry sources saying she ended professional ties over Levy’s letter, and Dua Lipa’s denial asserting the firing story is false [1] [2] [3].
1. The explosive claim that shifted headlines — did Dua Lipa drop her agent?
Multiple news items from September 20–25, 2025 carried the headline that Dua Lipa had “dumped” or “ditched” agent David Levy after he was revealed as a signatory to a letter seeking to stop Kneecap from performing at Glastonbury, framing Levy’s action as incompatible with Lipa’s public stance [1]. These pieces rely on unnamed music-industry sources who asserted that Lipa ensured Levy was no longer working on her music; the reporting presents that claim as the reason for the split and ties it directly to the Kneecap controversy and allegations that the band was “fuelling antisemitism” as stated in the letter Levy signed [3] [1].
2. Dua Lipa’s direct rebuttal — she says the firing story is false and the split predates the row
Dua Lipa issued a categorical denial, stating that stories she fired Levy over the Kneecap letter are “categorically false” and that she and Levy had parted ways in 2019, not in 2025, while criticizing Levy’s signing of the letter [2]. This public denial introduces a different timeline and challenges the claim that her departure from working with Levy was a response to the Kneecap controversy; her statement emphasizes that she did not fire him as a reactionary measure in 2025 but that she disapproved of his actions [2].
3. Timeline tension — reconciling industry-sourced claims with Lipa’s denial
The two narratives create a fundamental timeline conflict: industry reports dated September 20–22, 2025 say the split was current and consequential to Levy’s letter, while Lipa’s denial dated September 25, 2025 asserts the professional separation occurred in 2019 and disavows the firing claim [1] [3] [2]. Because the press stories cite unnamed sources and Lipa’s response is an official denial, the public record as reflected in these items contains contradictory primary claims about both motive and timing; neither side in the available material offers verifiable documents or on-the-record, named witnesses that definitively resolve the timeline.
4. What the reporting agrees on — Levy’s signature and the Kneecap context
Across the pieces there is consistent reporting that Levy signed a public letter seeking to prevent Kneecap from performing at Glastonbury, and that the letter framed Kneecap as engaging in political messaging the signatories deemed problematic, including language about “fuelling antisemitism” [1]. The body of reporting also situates the episode within a broader industry debate over artists and political activism, referencing other related controversies in late September 2025 and noting that Kneecap’s pro-Palestine activism has led to bans and public disputes elsewhere, though direct causation between Levy’s action and Lipa’s personnel decisions is disputed [4] [5].
5. Assessing sourcing and possible agendas — who benefits from each narrative?
The “Lipa fired Levy” narrative depends chiefly on unnamed music-industry sources and sensational framing, a pattern that can amplify the appearance of a decisive break tied to political stance [1] [3]. Conversely, Dua Lipa’s denial is an official correction that protects her reputation among pro-Palestine supporters and distances her from perceived reactionary moves; it also reframes the story as an older, preexisting split [2]. Both narratives serve interests: industry whispers can generate clicks and assert insider access, while Lipa’s statement aims to control public perception and clarify chronology.
6. What remains unresolved and what to watch next
Key questions remain: whether documentary evidence (contracts, termination notices, agency rosters) will surface to confirm the exact timeline; whether named insiders will go on record; and whether follow-up reporting will uncover contemporaneous communications linking Levy’s letter to any active role with Lipa in 2025. The current corpus of reporting presents competing, not corroborated, claims — several outlets echoing industry sources versus a direct refutation from Dua Lipa — so readers should treat the narrative as unsettled until primary documents or named, on-the-record witnesses appear [3] [2] [6].
Conclusion: The claim that Dua Lipa dropped David Levy specifically because he signed a letter calling to stop Kneecap from performing at Glastonbury is reported by multiple outlets but directly contradicted by Dua Lipa’s denial and a different timeline; the publicly available reporting from September 20–25, 2025 therefore leaves the question unresolved and hinges on rival accounts from unnamed industry sources versus an explicit denial from the artist [1] [2] [3].