During the summer of 1996, a caller to shock jock Howard Stern’s radio show said on the air that he’d heard Lauryn tell MTV that she’d rather see her child starve than have a white kid buy her album. MTV would announce later that the allegation wasn’t true, but by that time it was too late. The ugly, false rumor had already been set in motion.
“From this one broadcast, all of a sudden people who appreciated my music thought that there was something wrong with who I was and what I represented,” says Lauryn. Instead of letting a publicist act on her behalf, Lauryn, furious and very hurt, called a radio station herself to deny the charge. “I said, ‘How can I possibly be a racist? My music is universal music. And I believe in God. If I believe in God, then I have to love all of God’s creations. There can be no segregation.‘”
“Let me clarify this right now,” Lauryn responds forcefully. “I am not a racist. I love people who love God. I love good people. If you’re a good person with a good heart, you’re cool with me. And I hope I’m cool with you. There’s nothing racist about anything in my heart.”
Lauryn insists she wants people to understand that her goal to improve the self-love of young African-American women should never be confused with advocating racial supremacy. “There are a lot of young black girls who I meet in my travels who don’t have a lot of self-esteem,” she explains. “So if I communicate to them that they’re beautiful, no white person should find fault in that. It doesn’t mean that young white girls aren’t beautiful, because they are just as beautiful.”
source: excerpts from ‘Teen People’ magazine (issue 04/99)
Related Links:
LISTEN: listen to the radio show where the ugly rumor started off back in 1996
WATCH: see this interview with MTV where Lauryn Hill takes a stand
Fugees-Online.de 
For those who did not know Lauryn Hill grew up in a middle class white surburb and she went to predominantly white schools. She is also childhood friends with Zach Braff from Scrubs. Lauryn is no racist she is just a socially and politically conscious sister who believes in love, unity and peace. Being politically aware does not make one a racist, she just believes in what Martin Luther King, Malcom X and other black political icons believed in.
No offense, but Malcom X was an outspoken racist.
Ummmm wake up. He WAS a racist, but he changed after a visit to Mecca. Read your history!
zach braff is jewish not white….but yeah I don’t think its racist
Being white and Jewish are two completely different things…being white is simply the colour of your skin, judaism is a religion…most jewish people are white
This is accurate… Jewish is not white… Even “European Jews” came from Middle East and Africa via Spain… This is factual
Howard Stern is such a charmer he has a georgous voice. Anyways thank you so much for this post you are a star. Now we have proof Lauryn Hill is no racist she is just a black young woman who wants to uplift her people and fight racial injustices that have characterised our society.
Lauryn is so intelligent i love the way she handled the callers and how she answered what she was asked. I am happy that the guy who came with this story apologised. What is up with Howard Stern fantazising about Lauryn, anyway i would not blame him Lauryn is very attractive, intelligent, street smart and charismatic.
Interesting interview there is proof Lauryn is not racist, i wish i could send this to that stupid PEREZ HILTON site run by white racist faggots. Anyway Howard has got a thing for Lauryn and why is Wyclef so protective and jealous.
You also have a few things to learn from lauryn. By you calling perezs website site those name your just as wrong as they are, Peace love and harmony
Well spoken Jessica.
“site run by white racist faggots.” <— That was not necessary!
Perez Hilton is actually a hispanic site… hence the name “Perez.” Get your races right if you’re gonna be a racist. Now in responce to this article. I am glad I found this, but wish I had found it sooner. I loved Lauryn Hill’s voice and her music… solo and with the fugees alike. I did, however, boycott her music because of the rumor that was started. As a white person, I did not want to contribute to the possibility of her starving her children because I purchased or listened to her music. I am glad to know how she really feels, and I don’t think how she really feels is racists at all. I don’t think there is anything wrong with aiming your music toward a certain group of people. Rockers aim their music towards rock fans, country music artists aim their music towards country music fans… nothing wrong with it. If your music just so happens to positively affect the group you are aiming for AND other groups… that just makes you that much more successful and that much better as a musician. Kudos to Lauryn for standing up for herself… just wish the rumor had been squashed YEARS ago… it went on for too long and it’s sad and pathetic someone would start a rumor making such a beautiful person out to be so ugly, crude and ignorante. I’m sorry this happened to her. It’s simply awful!
Perez Hilton is neither a “white racist faggot” site nor a “hispanic” site. It has no race or gender. Please don’t give it the satisfaction. It is a GOSSIP site. Simple as that.
What person would spread such a rumour, people are so mean and i think this malicious rumour was spread out of jealousy and envy. She is very smart i love the way she handled the interview. LAURYN IS NO RACIST, THANKS FOR THE POST.
She’s an amazing artist. I hope its not true… whatever
I’m a mixed race 14 year old. I really dont understand why anyone cares what coulor you are. If your a bad person then your a bad person. If your good then your a good person. Nothing should be based on colour. I suppose i get this from my parents, they are not married but have been together for over 20 years now, unusually my mum is the black parent. They dont seem to care. Lauryn hill is a personall legend. I’ve been brought up on her music for years. My idols are: Elvis presley, Robert Nesta Marley, Audrey hepburn, Lauryn Hill, Mahatma ghandi, Mother teresa, and finally my mum and dad. As you can see they are all a mixure of different cultures and colours. There is really no reason to base people on coulor. People should base other people on the way that act, not the way they look. I personally have no religion and no views on God although i am not an athiest. The Words in the Bible, and other religious books, i respect very much. Lauryn hill’s music should be embraced and appreaciated, she should make people happy, she sings about real life things and havs an amazing voice. To be honest i’d love to be her. She is amazing.
I hope people take in what i’m saying.
Lots of love, Kimberley.
xxx
This is how you spell Color! just so you know, and yes Lauryn Hill is racist, they said it on T.V. it has to be true! Lol
You spell color differently in different countries
Most words ending in an unstressed -our in British English (e.g. colour, flavour, harbour, honour, humour, labour, neighbour, rumour) end in -or in American English (cf. color, flavor, harbor, honor, humor, labor, neighbor, rumor). Wherever the vowel is unreduced in pronunciation, this does not occur: e.g. contour, velour, paramour and troubadour are spelled thus the same everywhere.
What came first English or Americanish?
*forehead palm slap* can you get any more ignorant? ‘lol’
All this from a 14 year old girl, racists take note. If you were my daughter Kim i would be a very proud parent, peace 😉
P.s i actually posted that at 18:40 as i live in London; England.
Don’t worry Kim, I find it hilarious that an American as pulled an English girl on her language when they have ruined OUR language!
And I loved what you wrote – sadly the US isn’t as cool on race as GB. I know from personal experience! I wish I had had your intelligence and wisdom at your age!
I agree with everything you said Gaynor… except the US not being as cool on race. I am from America… New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States of America. The mayor for this city has been a black man for as long as I can remember (I’m 23) until just recently when Mitch Landreau was elected. Our governor is Bobby Jindal… who is Indian, I believe. I’m not quite sure of his ethnicity, but he isn’t white. Here in America, we have scholarship funds just for African-American children who qualify (meaning grades and intelligence). We have the Black Entertainment Channel (BET). We have every race on the face of this planet living in harmony. This is why we are the melting pot of the world. Of course there are still some ignorant jerks left here, but that’s gonna happen no matter where you go. Not everybody is meant to be smart and understanding.
I did, however, find it idiotic, yet hilarious, that someone didn’t know or realize that she spelled color the way she did, (colour) because of where she’s from. Maybe they just assumed she was American because she’s a mixed race child, which is very common here in the States, by the way.
Oh, and let’s not forget our president… President Barack Obama, who is also mixed… half black half white. If we are not so cool with race… why did we vote a man of such ethnicity into office?
YES SHE IS…I MEAN, JUST LISTEN TO THE SCORE!!!!
Cant wait for A RACE WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol, the score has nothing to do with being racist. did YOU listen to the score?
oh, and to the person who commented here using the word “faggot” to describe perez hilton: yes, perez hilton is an asshole. however, throwing around the term faggot is no worse than what lauryn hill was falsely blamed for. don’t complain about hate when you’re spreading it around yourself.
thanks.
and you for calling him an asshole hehe
perez hilton is a faggot
You people are a bunch of dumb black toads
oh yeah did i forget to mention that white people are the most dominant race ever, so just deal with it you weak ass niggers
You people are disgusting, especially the ones leaving comments like this one–“oh yeah did i forget to mention that white people are the most dominant race ever, so just deal with it you weak ass niggers”—1) you have no morals or values 2) I don’t know who your parents are but shame on them for allowing their child to talk the way you do and 3) you are the most selfish, disrespectful waste of breath I’ve ever come across in my entire LIFE. White people are NOT the most dominant race and even if they WERE–WHO CARES? IT SHOULDNT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.. if we were all the same color, I’d hate to see what everyone would fight over next..
amen saxxon
wow, you must be one of those insest honkeys that lives in the middle of bumfuck no where…
have fun fucking your father tonight you inbread peice of shit.
people like you are the reason birth control was made. white trash indeed
You make me sick, people like you make me ashamed to be white…
white? black? yellow? red? brown?
fucking orange? blue? purple? green? pink?
why do we have to segregate people by the color of their skin?
we all are people, have souls and hearts, feelings, and dreams…
racism is taking the path of our species backwards.
if we are going to categorize people by anything it should be character,
but if we did that, i’m sure lots of you would be in trouble.
by the way, lauryn hill was a gift to the music industry and i wish the best to her and her family.
Wait… Purple? GREEN??? I don’t know about you but I gotta draw the line, somewhere… to hell with purple people… unless they’re choking.
i dont not like lauryn hill cos of her skin, i don t like here cos she is a stuck up bitch. her, wycleff and the rest of the fugees are beatnick bitches.
How can you dislike someone based on physical appearance?
I don’t like YOU because you are a disrespectful and ignorant boy.
Do you also dislike her because she is an intelligent person that can actually spell unlike you?
this has been entertaining.
All I can say is that I feel bad for whitey supreme. He obviously is ignorant and has nothing better to do with his time other than to hate on people. I am white, and I love all walks of life. Lauren Hill is a very talented African American and I have great respect for her and her music! It is not our place to judge anyone. That is God’s job, and he made us the color that we are. Too bad for those of you who have no intelligence to understand that.
So True Mary, thanks.
racism is racism is racism…it all goes round in a big circle doesnt it it doesn’t matter who’s calling who what its still the same thing. i don’t think she’s racism she just tried to give positive thoughts to her african american people, and there’s NOTHING wrong with that. she’s not anti white she’s just positive black. and god knows where whitey supreme grew up..i hope they realise that technically we’re the minority race in the world not the dominant majority race.
think she’s racist** sorry long day!
I am an Irish woman and I sing myself. Lauryn Hill is my favourite artist of all time. She is a beautiful woman on so many levels.
Actually, I don’t know how anyone hasn’t commented on Stern’s behaviour here. Asking her if she’s “ever had a white man”? I think that speaking to someone like that could potentially make her feel really uncomfortable and is a really awful interview technique. If he wants to clarify the comments then that should be his priority. No professional male journalist speaks to any woman this way.
Also, “I thought they weren’t allowed there” in reference to black people in Norway. Seriously people, what the hell is that? If a journalist in Ireland made a comment like that about any ethnic group, he/she would be fired immediately and would never successfully work in this region again.
Racism comes down to a lack of respect for difference. The guy who originally said this stuff about Lauryn Hill might not realise it but he’s an idiot. I am not a religious person so I don’t agree that it all comes down to God. However I do think that it comes down to love and happiness. Ms. Hill has brought a lot of happines to my life and I am white. I hope that her and people like Mos Def, Talib Kweli and The Roots continue to spread ideals of love and consciousness.
My husband worked a show in Indianapolis, and he and several other crew members overheard her tell the stage manager that “she did not want any WHITE ppl touching her keyboard.” Is that racist? I THINK SO!
lauryn hill is a racist!
and she has aids to
[…] dropping her monumental solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she’s been the subject of nasty rumors and unfortunate stories, both of which have contributed to her stepping out of the public eye. […]
[…] dropping her monumental solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she’s been the subject of nasty rumors and unfortunate stories, both of which have contributed to her stepping out of the public eye. […]
Thank GOD!! That is a terrible rumor to start……….not cool.
Sorry Lauryn!!
I believed this for years, and just always assumed she said it. I wish I would’ve attempted to find validation to this rumor years ago. She sounds like a solid, spiritual lady. I do admire her outspoken nature regarding the onslaught of negativity toward God and faith in much of today’s pop hits. Keep up the good fight!
LOL, the comments here made me laugh, people need to GROW UP.If lauryn didnt want white people buying her album or touching her keyboard, she didnt want them and thats that. Did she say she hates them or go out and kill them? Even if shes a racist, thats your opinion which actualy says a lot about you hiding behind her about your every day racial issues. This is more about the fact that shes lauryn. Stop being bloody hypocrites. Listen to her music and learn something or shut up n mind your own business… Nobody is forcing you to like her or approve of her. Grow the hell up and elevate your minds. Be better then the gap….Seriously? People are inflicting wounds on themselves by words not meant for them, because they desperate for approval or need to feel like they wise by saying unecesary bs based on a rumour-hw do you know that the person who said she said doesnt just hate her for some reason he doesnt even know. Lauryns music is way beyond that, and i guess these comments go to show many of you are stuck on stupid and arent after the music so its wasted on you…its just rumbling static to you if your heart n mind arent in it. Lauryn has her flaws, i think if she was a racist she’d have made her feelings clear like she does on all else. She was fighting for black people to know their worth, for the youth of the world who heard her music to learn something. But if you have to be told this, im realy sorry for you. You done lost one, you gained the world bt you just lost one. It was called the miseducation of lauryn for a reason n like she says “forgive em father…”
Hello, the picture near the top of this blog post is packing a bit weird for me personally? I attempted delivering an email but it bounced back.
I hadn’t heard about any of this sort of thing, I was told by a british friend of mine that she went to a concert of theirs and Lauryncsaid something racist….I was devastated because I loved the Fugee’s and Miseducation, after all I’ve read now about this something in my gut makes me think she might not be telling the truth and that she fundamentally doesn’t like white peope.
Unfortunately it is true. Although she didn’t say children. She said I would rather 1,000 Africans starve than have a white kid buy my album. How do I know, because it’s haunted me for years the hateful words she felt for people like me. It was the first time I heard it from someone I admired. It hurt me and still to this day will say what I heard to anyone playing her songs.