Lauryn Hill has addressed her persistent lateness at shows during her tour in celebration of the 25th anniversary of her debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. 

According to Complex, the singer performed in Los Angeles on Saturday. After showing up late to the show, she spoke to the crowd about her tardiness.

“Yo, y’all lucky I make it on this blood ras stage every night,” Hill said. “I don’t do it because they let me do it. I do it because I stand here in the name of God, and I do it. God is the one who allows me to do it, who surrounded me with family and community when there was no support, when the album sold so many records, and no one showed up and said, ‘Hey, would you like to make another one?’ So I went around the world, and I played the same album over and over and over and over and over and over again. Because we’re the survivors, and we’re not just the survivors, we’re the thrivers.”

Following video footage of Hill addressing her tardiness posted on X, formerly Twitter, fans weren’t impressed with her explanation.

Many accused Hill of lying about not being approached to do another album following Miseducation. 

“Lauryn Hill been lying for years. There’s only one album because she got caught up chasing behind and having babies for a man who never wanted her. Her own children have spoken about this,” @MellyBoominnnn wrote.

Another shared multiple threaded tweets on the subject.

“Lauryn Hill STAYS lying! She locked herself in her Miami hotel room for many moons/had her label make a studio there cause she didn’t want to drive a half mile to the studio. She flew musicians to meet her to record just for them to be there for days w/o doing anything. Thread…,” @beckyslayer shared.

One user, @sunflower_878, even suggested the Grammy Award winner has been “paralyzed by the fear of not being able to live up to ‘Miseducation’ for nearly 30 years.”

But not everyone was critical of Hill at Saturday’s show. A few praised the singer’s performance of her beloved hits.

“I have waited YEARS to see Lauryn Hill and she did not disappoint. Worth it. This album is one of the most important albums to me as a person who loves hard and as an artist who loves even harder. Whew. Emotional. A spiritual experience,” @Kemi_yondo remarked with video footage of Hill performing “Ex-Factor.”

Hill’s been open about her punctuality problems before. In 2020, she shared a lengthy message on her Facebook page, explaining, “I don’t show up late to shows because I don’t care.” She said her tardiness came from her commitment to “aligning her energy” with the moment.

She wrote, “And I have nothing but Love and respect for my fans. The challenge is aligning my energy with the time, taking something that isn’t easily classified or contained, and trying to make it available for others. I don’t have an on/off switch. I am at my best when I am open, rested, sensitive and liberated to express myself as truthfully as possible.”

Hill wraps up the anniversary tour on Dec. 14 in Boston.

Lauryn HillThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill