‘My upset had layers’: Lauryn Hill defends ex-partner Rohan Marley from suggestion he did her ‘dirty’ in their relationship

Hill and Marley dated for about a decade and have five children together. Despite never marrying, the two have remained co-parents to the children, each of whom had a moment during Hill’s BET Living Legend Award performance at the 2026 BET Awards.

Despite being apart for more than 15 years, Lauryn Hill will still go to bat for Rohan Marley.

Last week, Nigerian influencer Mayowa shared a reel breaking down the relationship between Fugees singer and Marley, including their split and Marley’s marriage to his second wife, Barbara Fialho. Mayowa referred to Marley as a “tyrant” and wondered whether he was the reason Hill’s music sounded “so sad” to her, later uploading a video of her 2001 “MTV Unplugged” performance, focusing on a clip in which Hill is visibly crying while performing.

The video caught Hill’s attention and she responded in the comments.

“I might agree with some of the self-deprecation part, there are reasons for that, but while Rohan and I were in relationship I was NOT being done dirty,” Hill wrote.

She added, “My upset had layers, my upset with him had to do with his unwillingness to confront His trauma in order to grow and keep our family together. We don’t meet people as blank slates, they have pasts and past hurts. Both of us were working through traumatic experiences, and we met each other trying to help uplift one another. You may not think Bob Marley was a saint, but he certainly changed the narrative for generations of people suffering under oppressive paradigms. We should distinguish the baby from the dirty bath water and recognize that birth can be a messy process, but on the other side of it is life.”

Hill concluded, “People may not be perfect in their walk but they can still battle with their own struggles and then make art about their battles and their victories that help liberate others too. I personally look to afford people grace when and wherever I can.”

While Mayowa acknowledged Hill’s response and the way she vocalized her trauma, she redirected her vitriol toward Marley in her own response video, questioning how he could marry someone else despite Hill having birthed five children for him.

“The thing that will never make sense to me is that he can give you five children, and then when he leaves, he ends up marrying a white woman when you also wanted to get married,” she said. “I do believe her when she says that their issues were their traumas and I get that, that’s pretty much all relationships. But when you hear him do interviews, there is a certain tone that he speaks where it seems as if he believes he’s the prize. That’s a disconnect.

“Sometimes I think that older women can give so much grace to people when they can acknowledge, that was f–ked up. He’s been married three times and he didn’t marry you. And you wanted to be married and you said you were spiritually married. I’m sorry, no. And I think his name gave some kind of comfort and that’s OK. I appreciate her for responding.”

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Earlier this year, Hill wrote a tribute to Marley on his birthday, calling him her protector and defender.

“Happy Birthday @romarley! We have been through a lot, but I will always be grateful to you and for you as my protector, my defender and Father to our beautiful children,” the caption began.

Hill later added, “For those who didn’t know better, @romarley never cheated on me! I remember the beginning when we were young, majestic, and uniting our worlds. Have a blessed one, King.”

The couple may not be together, but if there’s anything to glean from it, Hill will share her truth about their relationship, no matter who questions it.