The Friday night headliner was originally scheduled to perform at 12:35 a.m., but event delays meant her set didn’t start until 2:30 a.m.

Essence Festival defends Lauryn Hill after 2 a.m. performance to near-empty stadium: ‘Put some respect on her name’

The Friday night headliner was originally scheduled to perform at 12:35 a.m., but event delays meant her set didn't start until 2:30 a.m.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at*  *with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News, *Teen Vogue*, Bustle, BuzzFeed, *Paper Magazine*, Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022.

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Published on July 7, 2025 12:04PM EDT

Lauryn Hill performs during 2025 Essence Festival Of Culture at Caesars Superdome on July 04, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Credit:

Erika Goldring/Getty

Essence Festival is defending Lauryn Hill after event delays led her headlining set to start much, much later than originally anticipated. **

The eight-time Grammy winner was originally scheduled to close out Friday night’s festivities with her 12:35 a.m. performance, a post on Essence’s Instagram account confirmed. However, due to the event running hours behind schedule, Nola.com reported that the “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” singer didn’t actually take the Caesars Superdome stage in New Orleans until 2:30 a.m. — and, by that point, only several hundred people remained in the 83,000-capacity stadium to catch her set. **

Hill’s delayed start time quickly courted controversy online, especially since she has received flak for showing up late to gigs in the past. In the wake of the backlash, Essence Festival cleared the air and took responsibility for the delay in an Instagram post on Sunday.

Lauryn Hill attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City.

Dia Dipasupil/Gett

“Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the PEOPLE have to say,” it read. “Let’s be very clear— WE don’t play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines.”

The statement continued, “She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can. The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched. Put some respect on her name. Keep the takes, but keep her out of them.” **

Hill appeared to take her late start in stride at the event, taking audience requests, chatting with the crowd, and even passing the microphone to her sons Zion and Joshua “YG” Marley, per Nola.com. The outlet noted that her performance ended at 3:37 a.m.

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Her fans — and a several stars including fellow festival performers Erykah Badu and Jill Scott — praised Essence’s clarification in the comments of the Instagram post. “ACCOUNTABILITY!!!” One user wrote. “Thank you for addressing this for her 🙌🏾 all 50 of us enjoyed her that stayed til 3:30 am!!!!! Thank you Lauryn Hill!!”**

Another added, “Yesss @essencefest! That’s why we go together real bad! Let them know! I stayed to see Lauryn, she is my FAVORITE and her performance was worth the wait! The musicality of her performance is top tier and amazing! Put some respect on Lauryn Hill’s name. I met YG in the elevator and he said it wasn’t their fault.”

Founded in 1995, Essence’s Festival of Culture is the “home of Black joy, artistry, and resilience — bringing together the most iconic and influential voices in Hip-Hop, R&B, soul, funk, and gospel for an unforgettable Evening Concert Series,” per its website. **

The event’s three-day concert series, which ran from July 4 to 6, not only saw Hill, Scott, and Badu perform, but also Maxwell, Babyface, Glorilla, the Isley Brothers, Boyz II Men, Master P, and Nas. **

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Music”