Lil Tay is alive, but her situation is confusing and really, really sad [Updated]
A day after Lil Tay's death was reported on Instagram, the 14-year-old star says she's alive and "heartbroken"
Aux News Tay![Lil Tay is alive, but her situation is confusing and really, really sad [Updated]](https://img.pastemagazine.com/wp-content/avuploads/2023/08/14230318/e72cb747b904878ce61d7a133faa948f.png)
On Wednesday, the Instagram account for 14-year-old rapper and viral sensation Lil Tay—named initially as Claire Hope—posted a startling message: Lil Tay, and her older brother Jason Tian, were both dead. (The post has since been deleted.) While obituaries popped up and the internet mourned, many of Lil Tay’s 3.4 million followers immediately pointed fingers. “Nah I feel like they did something dirty to her,” reads a top comment on the post that received 22 thousand likes. “Nah her parents killed her. This is crazy,” reads another.
The fans were incorrect about the circumstances, but they were right that something was amiss. Today, TMZ reported that Lil Tay—real name Tay Tian—was, in fact, alive, and 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,” Lil Tay told the outlet. “All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.”
Before Lil Tay spoke out today, reporters and social media detectives were already skeptical. New reports and digging into her career history gave fans plenty of reason to be alarmed.
Per a report from Insider yesterday, no other sources were willing to confirm veracity of the social media post one way or the other. Her father, Christopher Hope, declined to comment and her former manager, Harry Tsang, gave an extremely obscure statement. “Given the complexities of the current circumstances, I am at a point where I cannot definitively confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement issued by the family,” Tsang wrote. “This situation calls for cautious consideration and respect for the sensitivities involved. My commitment remains focused on delivering updates that are both reliable and appropriately timed.”
Further, Insider reported that neither the Los Angeles police and medical examiner nor the Vancouver police (where Hope grew up) had information or were investigating the death of anyone named Claire Hope. “During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother’s passing are still under investigation,” the original post read. The Daily Mail claims that police also have no record of Jason’s death.
Now that we know she is alive, there are still a lot of open questions; why did it take a day to confirm she was alive? A dive into the world of the teen rapper has, so far, been deeply depressing.
Lil Tay initially went viral in 2018 for her profanity-laden videos, often involving stacks of cash, expensive cars, and purportedly designer clothes. Then, later that year, the profile abruptly stopped posting when a video of a male voice—allegedly belonging to her brother—feeding her lines behind the camera surfaced.
Things only get worse from there. In 2021, since-deleted posts began appearing on the long-dormant account, showing Lil Tay crying and alleging that her father, Christopher Hope, had been “physically and mentally” abusive to her reports Insider. The posts were allegedly from her brother, who also began a GoFundMe page, titled “Save Tay from a Life of Abuse (saveliltay.com).” The page displayed a number of photos of a young Hope with red marks on her face. The campaign’s long description alleges that Lil Tay’s father and his current wife were stealing her money, feeding her moldy food for lunch, and locking her in dark closets, among many other horrific things. The page, which is still active, also claims that all money raised will go towards legal fees for Tay’s emancipation.
Recently, fans also noticed that Lil Tay’s YouTube about me was populated by a chilling message: “help me.” However, it is unclear when this copy was actually posted.
One thing is abundantly clear: this is a devastatingly sad situation. Even if none of the allegations come to fruition, this is still an all-too-familiar case of a little girl being exploited by the exact people who should have protected her. Lil Tay might have been a persona, but Tay Tian is a real, vulnerable child who deserves so much more.
This story has been updated since Lil Tay was confirmed alive.
105 Comments
Even if Hope is alive and none of the allegations come to fruition, this is still an all-too-familiar case of a little girl being exploited by the exact people who should have protected her. Parents pulling hustle grindset shit with actual children deserve baseball bats to the face. Plural.
Yeah there is always something very off putting and fucking creepy when parents exploit their kids like this for clicks and clout. This is just the modern version of nightmare momagers/stage moms exploiting their kids for money and fame.
Yep. Fucking disgusting. That’s how you end up with shit like “Why YES, Michael Jackson, TAKE MY KID OVERNIGHT. TOTALLY NOT WEIRD. BRING MONEY PLZ.”
*cry laughs in Ryan’s World*
Little Gronk was the latest fade in this clout chase by a father who wanted money/notoriety for pimping out his kid. Forced Original Gronk to put out a statement requesting Pops stop the hustle.Influencers… they suck!
IIRC, at the time it wasn’t the parents doing it, it was her brother, who had tried being a YouTuber on his own and failed. There was an article making the rounds yesterday from 2019 that said Chris Hope is the one that stopped the Lil Tay stuff in 2018 (because she’s Canadian and a minor, both parents had to approve her getting a work visa, which she did not have) and Jason suggested to others that he should start a “Save Lil Tay” campaign, which he appears to have briefly done in 2021.
I mean I get your point, but at the same time don’t care, parent’s sibling fuck all of em if they want to exploit their kin for clout/money.
So she started making profane videos in 2018, when she would have been nine? Fucking great.
Yeah, I believe it was that the brother and mom were the ones pushing/allowing the character, and dad became aware and was not pleased, so exercised parental rights in order to stop it. Which is when the brother started claiming abuse. They had the platform so that’s all people heard, while the dad appeared to just be trying to keep his daughter from being whatever the fuck that was, and not saying much publicly about it. So brother claims they’re abusing her, stealing her money, but then no legal proceedings, no nothing. Considering the whole thing stopped around that time, it would seem dad got his way, and that seems like it’s a good thing. Who knows what caused this to flare up now. My money would be on the brother posting that message in order to get buzz again. I think the inclusion of his “death” in it makes that the most likely scenario because she’s the focus, and who would really care about him? He would. That’s why I believe he’d try to include himself in the “news.” Regardless, that kid is probably going to have serious issues for the rest of her life. And that is heartbreaking. Kinda reminds me of the Britney saga. Her family didn’t say much, then she, her boyfriend, and her fans all made a stink about how they were holding her hostage and she was fine… which it’s pretty clear now she is far from. We don’t know the reality of situations like these, and taking the loudest voice as the truth is perhaps not the best course of action.
She has since come forward to claim she was hacked. It still could be a prank gone wrong or something perpetuated by a parent for clicks (and the underlying truth that kids should not be YouTube commodities is very valid), but this also seems to be a case of the media jumping on a story that might not be a story.
“this also seems to be a case of the media jumping on a story that might not be a story.”
Except for the father’s “no comment” and the manager’s bizarre statement.
It’s never hacking.Nothing about “hacking” makes sense in this case.
My issue is more that maybe everyone jumped on this way too fast and way too soon when there were plenty of red flags around reporting it in the first place.It’s reasonable that she was hacked quite possibly by a family member who may in fact be abusive towards her, but the reporting on this has been sloppy at best.
Any parent who serially humuliates, neglects and leaves their child prey to sexual abusers (or any abusers) should be in prison in general population.
I’ll take it.
*Fake News!*
Ugh strenuously refuses to take it.
You heard it here folks. I got all 8 arms in all the news that shits.
Are you’re sure it was the parents? Kids these days have no morals
I’m a mom and I used to follow a lot of those accounts of moms and their kids, until I suddenly got the huge ick about it. You’re literally using your little kids for money, and posting them all over the internet forever. It’s awful, and that’s the low end of the abuse spectrum compared to what was apparently going on here.I mind it slightly less if the kids are teenagers and can actually consent to this (though I question the the parental judgment that doesn’t discourage this type of fame-seeking in their children), but I had to unfollow. I still follow several mom accounts, but they don’t show their kids.
Yes. This is how to solve problems: baseball bats to the face.
When the entire culture is built around “husslin’” and most of society sees hustling not only as a means, but as a goal in itself, it’s just normal that this dynamic is replicated inside family groups. We are so doomed.
Even if none of the allegations come to fruition,
This story has been on my mind since I heard about it. It just seems very creepy at so many levels.
This poor kid. RIP
Update: What a f*cking relief – but damn I hope she gets some good help.
called this the moment I heard the story.
Why does an account that hasn’t posted anything since 2018 still have 3.4 million followers?!?
I still follow a few YouTube channels that went dormant years ago. More out of habit than anything.
It takes longer to unfollow than to just leave it.
Most of those “followers” are probably fake, bot, accounts that she purchased. Instagram is full of those now
Yeah, you can only see like 50 of her followers (the rest are blocked from view, also a pretty clear sign there’s lots of fake accounts) and like 75% have zero, or just one or two, posts on their grid, a pretty clear sign they are fake accounts.
Sounds like her life was much worse than her death…….Awesome liberal parenting.
You’re blaming “liberals” for something that didn’t even happen. Typical conservative. Were you the person who set fire to Comet Ping Pong because you think they eat babies?
Yep. It must be the wokes! Burn your Barbies and dump out your Bud Lights.
Another incredibly stupid comment from the dipshit who thinks “biological males” are going to eventually replace all female athletes in the Olympics.You must be super intelligent and well-educated. Thanks for sharing your insights. I know I’ve learned a lot.
Well, yeah: dump out your Bud Lights.
Did you parents have any kids that lived?
Liberal parenting is when you’re raised by Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter-Birney’s characters on Family Ties
Maybe update the headline now that more information is available including her own assertion that Claire Hope is not her legal name.
Yeah, this is a bad look, even after the “update”, when the article jumps from their post, to the article like this: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.’”[Original story]: On Wednesday, the Instagram account for 14-year-old rapper and viral sensation Lil Tay (real name Claire Hope) posted a startling message: Lil Tay—and her older brother Jason Tian—were both dead.Like – we already know you can edit the story – you’ve done so! Right before the lines that now say something completely wrong! Edit the parenthetical! (real name Tay Tian) See? Not hard!
It looks like they have updated the headline now, but they’re still running with the sad part in the entirely unproven discussion of her not having died…Weird.
It is pretty wild that this Asian girl named Tay Tian disappears for five years from the public spotlight, someone hacks her account, turns her into a white girl named Claire Hope, the internet responds with the appropriate level of grief (if not clarity of thought), and now people are going after her mom and brother because… nothing controversial has happened with her for five years except her appearing in the news yesterday because someone hacked her account.The biggest story here is that people forgot for over half a decade that there wasn’t a story here anymore.
People thought she was white? And Asians can have non-Asian names, as I do.
Why do you believe that from a person who is obviously in the middle of a bunch of stuff and has lied in the past?
There’s nothing to suggest she is not in fact, and I said at the time that they should update it to say that she alleged that wasn’t her name – That was not included in the article at the time I commented. It has been edited several times.
It’s easier to blame the parents rather than the only two known participants: Lil Tay and her brother.
Yeah. Never heard of her before this article, so the Clare Hope/Tay Tian name thing was very confusing given how badly written AV Club articles are now.
TMZ has updated her condition to “alive.”https://www.tmz.com/2023/08/10/lil-tay-social-media-star-still-alive-instagram-hacked-fake-death-hoax/
TMZ has updated her condition to “alive.”Perhaps a more accurate condition would be, “It’s complicated.”
She respawned!
Hey, remember Balloon Boy?
I’m cracking up just thinking about what an obvious hoax that whole thing was.
Apparently Balloon Boy’s family moved to Florida. When he got older he joined a Christian black metal band. You know, with screaming and corpse paint and everything. Imagine that. All of that Scandinavian metal nonsense, but for Jesus. Truly a chilling thought.
BURNING CHURCHES…for Christ?
Not so much joined, as formed a metal band with his brothers. They appear to have created a horror stage show musical called American Chilly, about a “Toilet Monster”.
My favourite Heeney thing is their dad’s invention – the Bear Scratch.
The BILLY MAYS HERE school of yelling and screaming.“They appear to have created a horror stage show musical called American Chilly, about a “Toilet Monster”.” And yeah, it was a family band. But quite frankly, Americans are nuts, and I say this as an American. If you put that it most works of fiction, it’d be called too unbelievable to include.
He floats for all our hopes.
My favorite part of that story was that their brilliant plan was foiled because they trusted in the secret-keeping abilities of a 6-year old.
This article considers multiple possibilities but one. She’s complicit. I like to think of myself as a good liberal, believing whole heartedly in equality. But that means acknowledging that ANYONE can be an asshole. even a 14 year old girl. We all have no trouble, i’m sure, accepting a 14 year old boy can come up with an idea to promote a story of abusive to fleece people, pobably been done more than once, but to dismiss the notion of a 14 year old girl doing it betrays ourselves.Which certainly isn’t to dismiss the possibility of it being true. hell no. Such an allegation should of course be given all seriousness. But given the overall context of the article is ‘we don’t actually know what the hell’, ending on ‘poor little tay that people would do this to her’ betrays the instinctual dismissal of the idea that she could actually be the equal of anyone else.idk i guess what i’m saying is if we don’t actually know sht then we have to acknowledge the possibility she was in on the grift and shame on you for not thinking the 14 year old girl couldn’t possibly have been in on it when there’s not a one of us that would have of battd an eye at the idea of a 14 year old boy being in on it.
It could also be the brother. Saying people died to get attention sounds like something teenagers would do. But one would think the parents would have to be aware of this situation at least now since authorities got involved, and hopefully would put an end to these types of “pranks.” Is there more evidence that the parents are exploiting the kids for clicks, or is that just an assumption?
She has fans/followers???
Sure why not? I do!
Of course this was fake news, one of the sources was the Daily goddamn Mail.
Yeah, I only pay attention to The Daily MotherFucking Intelligencer.
The for fuck sake Sun is there!
This is the nonsense that happens when we let social media drive “news” and cite comments on social media posts as if those count as sources.
WHO THE FUCK CARES?!
Who?
Lil Tay, who may also be named Claire Hope and/or Tay Tian. And who is, apparently, famous.
There are so many bizarre tangents and unanswered questions papered over here with, “Trust me, it’s just sad, that’s all you need to know” that—given how many privacy issues are involved—it was probably best not to run with a story of any kind.
If it later comes out that Tay was trying to stand up for herself and her parents locked her out of her account and feigned her death as some sort of punishment, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Remember the kid who ran away from home, came back after 24 hours, and his mother pretended he was still missing for years after, keeping her kid locked in the house the entire time? Narcissists love abusing media to be all about themselves, using their kids merely as appendages to boost themselves instead of seeing their kids as independent human beings. And when their kids try to get support elsewhere, the abusive parents try to either make it impossible to access (changing social media passwords), or gaslighting them (“No one will help you, they all think you’re dead, remember?”)
Sure, she lies all the time but she’s telling the truth now. Honest.
…who?
This story makes my head hurt.
Hollywood finally wised up and stopped turning child stars into tragic adults, then social-media-hustling parents picked up where that left off. I don’t know anyone who knew who Lil Tay was until her death was reported. Given the publicity it received, when she was discovered alive, I immediately thought it was a publicity stunt. I still do, but one fabricated by the family, not the child. When I Googled her I found the photos repugnant. Americans can’t afford healthcare and the world is literally on fire, and here we’re idolizing some “#richkidsofinstagram” influencer posing with G-Wagons and bathing in cash. But she’s not an adult; she’s barely even a teenager, and best I can tell her social media stardom began as early as nine. My nephew is nine and he likes going to the trampoline center. That’s where she should be.It’s easy to judge young people for deplorable, fame-seeking behavior. Some as young as 16 are probably old enough to know exactly what they’re doing, and deserve the ridicule they receive. But conjecture and anecdotal evidence pile up fast in the digital age, and bullsh*t becomes easy to sniff out. I don’t buy for a second that this girl is anything but an innocent child named Tay Tian. Lil Tay is a persona being groomed by a dysfunctional family looking to cash in. That is absolutely disgusting.
When Hollywood was turning child stars into tragic adults, they were at least restricted by child labor laws and union rules. Social media is the Wild West of employment, and children are being pimped out like kids mining coal in the 19th Century. I see it time in again in my Instagram feed: parents trying to create the next star all for their own personal vanity and wealth; “#vanlife” parents subjecting their kids to the lifestyle of modern-day carnies all for “engagement.” It is definitive child abuse, and we seem to be getting further and further away from regulating the monetization of social media, even as it pertains to children. And for the record, I am a 47 year old gay man who hates every child who isn’t one of my nephews, and I’ll admit that’s part of why I found Lil Tay so disgusting when I Googled her. So if this gay, barren Gen X spinster can empathize with whatever is happening in her life, there is most definitely something wrong. This morning, I hated this child. Now, I feel nothing but sorrow.
I don’t think Hollywood stopped so much as those kids destined for broken adulthoods are just getting put on social media now instead. It’s a lot easier for the parents to post online and they don’t have to worry about those pushy actor unions and labor laws making then only work their kids a few hours a day.
Agreed, and that was exactly my point. Hollywood was reigned in by child labor laws and unions, but on social media, it’s the Wild West. Anything goes.
I heard about her back when she originally found internet fame when she was 9, and it was abundantly clear to anyone with any sense that this was a kid being controlled by her family or some adult with influence over her, no kid behaves this way. It happens over and over again; just look at the most recent iteration, “Lil Gronk,” it’s unbelievable how people will use their children this way
What’s disgusting about these parents in particular is that they shamelessly know exactly what they’re doing. But just as bad (buckle up, I’m gonna rant) are the toxically positive parenting bloggers and influencers who trot out their tots for Barbie themed birthday parties meticulously staged not for the child’s enjoyment, but for the filtered realm of social media.I got into a heated argument with a #vanlife mom on Instagram who was nomadically living with her husband and two young children in a converted school bus. It sounds fun, and probably would be if the kids were nearing adulthood or the caravan of bespoke vagabonds only traveled for a summer. But this was their full-time home, schooling included (how ironic, or perhaps deliberate, it was a school bus); the young kids subjected to making friends at campgrounds around the country only to be uprooted the moment they begin establishing bonds. If they even have time to make friends. The family’s images were all so staged, with all furnishings and clothing in various shades of gray, the kids must have sat for countless photography sessions. Even the toys were designed for social media “engagement.” No brightly colored towers of plastic rings or Fisher-Price Playmobils, just wooden blocks and figurines that visually complemented the dull space, and one vintage toy Saab clearly designed to be displayed and not played with. These kids likely look forward to the inevitable nights this family spends powering up at truck stops or sleeping in Walmart parking lots between more photogenic campgrounds; the places where mom puts her phone down. Ironically, these are the places probably most deserving of memory.She couldn’t – or wouldn’t – understand why I found it all so objectionable. “Over 100K followers disagree,” she sniffed. Engagement: the validation of the most abhorrent influencers, so deluded by Instafame they never stop to wonder how many of those are just hate-following. But plenty probably do disagree with me. They see these fabulous photos of eerily well-behaved children playing with corn husk dolls and wonder what they’re doing wrong in the mortgaged home they can barely afford; there aren’t any photos of the tantrums and the fits, just the unknown anticipation of a 2028 Hulu documentary: “I was a #vanlife Kid” after several years of therapy.The parents of Li’l Tay and Li’l Gronk, and the next Li’l (alliterative syllable here) have no shame about what they are doing, and they’re aware that their “engagement” is made up of as many haters as fans. But so many other parents fly under the radar of picture perfect moments, while doing just as much damage to their kids. It’s not hard to see a racial component too, especially in the case of Li’l Tay. Far more people are willing to vilify (however justifiably) parents of color pimping out their children on social media than a white family. But don’t dare tell a white mother she might not have her children’s best interest in mind, especially when she spent “a mere $100,000″ turning a school bus into a 24/7 detention center. She’s putting that influencer money into a college fund for the future she’s laid out for her kids, nevermind the fact that they’ll want nothing to do with her or the silent and nearly-non-existent dad once they’re old enough to realize what’s been done to them and divorce them just before 18.Social media makes most of us very ugly people, but the select few make careers out of it. It will be very interesting to see what becomes of this in 10 or 15 years, when the children – the subjects – are old enough to speak for themselves. I have been forever embarrassed by a photo my mom took of me in the bathtub when I was 3. I’m covered in bubbles, and nothing can be seen but my face. These kids’ lives have been paraded for the world to see. Weirdly, my photo at age 3 had the privilege of at least being authentic to the 20~ people who’ve ever seen it. But these kids might someday have to explain to billions that their meticulously staged childhoods weren’t as idyllically monochromatic as they looked.Didn’t mean to rant, especially off-topic, but that whole run-in with the #vanlife mom came flooding back to me when I read about this.
CHOCOLATE RAIN.
The best Steely Dan song Steely Dan never made.
Hallelujah?
oh fuck all day that’s going to be in my head now
Maybe we, as a society, need to stop giving shit like this views. To many kids are getting exploited by their parents and guardians.
I hate everyone involved with this story, including myself for reading it.
Given that this kind of thing has happened many times before, and that it’s the dissemination of knowingly false information about an individual, spread with malicious intent, and causes demonstrable, real-world harm, I’m thinking it’s time to start treating acts like this for what they are — libel.
By posting about this people are participating in the cycle of abuse. Children should NOT be on social media at all. Neither as unhealthy sexualized things for each other, for older people, as shills for corporate America, or whatever else about a minor can be manufactured and gobbled up by vapid horny deceived consumers. It’s bad enough with all the scattered ass on Insta with adults. I don’t even know who this child with the absurd name is, and I feel sorry that they grasp for money with gofundme when actual people live in poverty, I’m disgusted by a family that lets any of this happen to a child.
Could it be said she’s “Bringin’ on” the “Heartbroken”?
14 year olds should spend their time on school and growing up. Influencers of any age or shape (bloated rear or not) are one of the most useless types of things on earth! Only exception I’ve ever encountered – in PRC there’s a woman who ‘influences’ by teaching people on video how to raise all sorts of food, prepare it, and also make all sorts of things around the house. Now that’s useful. But there are very few 14 year old children who do anything more useful that their school work.
Sad what AVC has become.
Me, trying to understand anything about this:I’ll be in my cave if you need me.
“This story has been updated since Lil Tay was confirmed alive.”
Fucking hilarious.
This whole thing stinks.She’s just a kid.
Social media is a cancer. Every day I see nothing but antisemitism and racism and sexism and outrage pumped into my feed. I see militant gun nuts fantasize about civil war. I see kids growing up laughing, desensitized, at the most inane and stupid and even horrific shit. This kid is a victim of a family and system that enables content-generated fame. She’s part of the algorithm. Exploiting kids and even adults for their celebrity status is nothing new, but the way social media has been allowed to push this shit without consequence is disturbing. She’s a victim of social networks and their business model as well as her abusive upbringing.
I have yet to see a single article anywhere to convince me that Instagram would be a good thing to have in my life. Like, everything about it seems just horrible and, while I admit there was a brief six months where I used it to look at thirst traps/living, shirtless Disney princes, one day I forgot about it and now I just read things like this and think, eh, I’ll go back to reading my book in the park and watching the dogs play.
I follow people I’ve been on tours with in foreign countries, and I see pictures of other foreign countries they’ve been to.As always, fuck the algorithm.
The ads. Way, way too many ads for dumb shit.
Glad she’s Oh Tay.
Eddie Murphy’s Buckwheat is that you?
WOOKIN PA NUB 🤣
Saw some speculation that this may have been timed (by whoever is in charge of her media) to coincide with the release of a new crypto coin named for her to get her name trending in time for the coin release. Obviously not this kid’s plan, if true but its pretty reprehensible if its the case.
Only Tay I give af about is superstar Tay Zonday
First she’s dead, now she’s not. What in the woo?
what the hell? The police need to have a comprehensive investigation into everyone- Parents, neighbors, management, whoever else.
Meanwhile over on the other thread, Big Tay appears to be farting into a microphone.
Who?