In 2018, social media star Lil Tay was the most well-known kid on the Internet. At just nine years old, she emerged as the self-proclaimed, “youngest flexer in the country.” In her videos, which surfaced on Instagram and YouTube, she often bragged about having haters and making more money than her fans could fathom. Her posts were frequent, confusing, and addictive—a perfect recipe for going viral. Which is exactly what happened. Over the span of three months, Lil Tay earned over a million followers and was in the process of hiring a talent agent in Los Angeles. Then she vanished.
Until this week, Lil Tay’s social media accounts had been inactive. That changed on August 9, when a statement appeared on her Instagram claiming that Lil Tay and her brother, Jason Tian, were dead. The post, which has since been deleted, said their deaths were “sudden” and “tragic,” and asked for privacy while the situation was under investigation.
Naturally, news of Lil Tay's death quickly gained traction. Fans of the star were divided in their responses. Some mourned the news, while others suspected a hoax. Then, in a puzzling turn of events, Lil Tay confirmed she was alive on August 10, telling TMZ that her account had been hacked.
“I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken and struggling to even find the right words to say. It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours,” she explained. “All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess. My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong. My legal name is Tay Tian, not ‘Claire Hope.’”
So, what the hell is going on? At this point, the only thing we know for sure is that Lil Tay is alive. Everything else is up for speculation. As more details emerge, it seems this scandal is connected to a history of strange behavior. Keep reading for more information about Lil Tay and her strange week.
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Who Faked Lil Tay’s Death?
As of right now, it’s unclear who posted the death announcement. Lil Tay told TMZ that Meta, the company who owns Instagram, helped her regain control of the account so she could delete the post.
Prior to this week, Lil Tay had not used her Instagram account since 2018, when the Internet star was nine. According to Vox, right before Lil Tay vanished from the Internet, her father, Chris Hope, was concerned about her growing fame and demanded the closure of the account.
Hope reportedly wanted Lil Tay to fine-tune her image, manage the money she'd earned, and focus on school. Later that year, a series of posts popped up on Lil Tay's Instagram, claiming that she was suffering abuse from her parents. Her parents denied the claims and said her account was hacked. At the time, Hope told Insider that he knew the perpetrator and was preparing to sue them for defamation.
When Lil Tay’s non-death spread throughout the Internet this week, it seemed like another hacking incident. Insider contacted Hope for clarity, but he declined to comment.
Who Runs Lil Tay’s Social Media Accounts?
The identity of the account holder is also unclear. For a while, fans believed Lil Tay’s mother, Angela, managed her daughter's social media accounts and curated her online presence. In 2018, she appeared on Good Morning America to discuss Lil Tay’s rise to fame, but she never took credit for it.
The other popular theory is that Lil Tay’s brother, Jason, was the one calling the shots. According to Vox, inside sources claim that Jason wanted to be famous. When he couldn’t achieve it, he studied viral YouTubers and taught his sister how to emulate them instead. Over the years, Jason has been accused of encouraging Lil Tay to use a racial slur in her videos and behave outlandishly for views. One source told The Atlantic that he was verbally abusive. “I’ve seen her brother shout at her,” they said. “Once Jason was yelling at her, saying, ‘You’re no good, it’s not good.”
Until someone comes forward, the person who runs Lil Tay’s account will likely remain a mystery. But given how young she was at the time, it seems she never had autonomy over her image.
What About Her Parents?
Lil Tay’s parents have not released a statement about this week's events. However, on August 9, an Instagram account called @termanii_ claimed to have more information about the incident. The post seemed to be written from Lil Tay’s point of view, and explained that she and her brother were at odds with their parents.
“Since the end of 2021 me and my brother have been planning on coming back to social media and start streaming,” the post said. “We didn’t tell anyone other than our parents and once we did, they got mad and called us ignorant because we weren’t going to do the same thing that I was doing when I was 9-10, and they locked us out of every social media we had.”
According to the account, that interaction sparked an argument, leading Lil Tay and Jason to live with their grandparents. “Since then, they basically cut contact with us,” the statement reads. “So about four months ago I texted my mom for the first time in years and we were talking about getting our account back. She agreed at first and then switched up randomly, and now this happens out of nowhere. I haven’t talked to her since May.”
Vox reports that @termanii also uploaded an Instagram story that said Lil Tay and her brother would go live if they hit 25,000 followers. The account was deleted shortly after, and neither Lil Tay or Jason have confirmed if the account's claims are true.
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