Abuse allegations, moldy pizza and the wild childhood that led to mysterious ‘death’ of 14-year-old influencer Lil Tay

She’s alive — however there’s nonetheless a cloud of controversy and tragedy surrounding 14-year-old influencer Lil Tay, whose reported death rocked the web this week.

The social media sensation, who amassed millions of followers with expletive-ridden rants and photographs of her holding wads of money earlier than going silent in 2018 — when she was simply 9 — was alleged to be lifeless on Wednesday, based on an announcement on her Instagram account. The submit additionally claimed that her brother Jason Tian, 22, had handed away not too long ago.

“We have now no phrases to precise the insufferable loss and indescribable ache. This final result was totally sudden and has left us all in shock,” the assertion learn.

Nearly instantly, conspiracy theories took rise on-line as Tay’s alleged ex-manager anonymously told the US Sun that they had been skeptical about why the assertion hadn’t been signed from anybody in Tay’s household — and the kid’s personal father refused to verify or deny the deaths.

On Thursday, the lady also referred to as Claire Hope and Tay Tian surfaced to say it was all a hoax.

“I need to make it clear that my brother and I are protected and alive, however I’m fully heartbroken and struggling to even discover the best phrases to say,” Lil Tay told TMZ Thursday by way of a “assertion from her household.”

“It’s been a really traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I used to be bombarded with countless heartbreaking and tearful cellphone calls from family members all whereas attempting to kind out this mess.”

She went on to assert that her long-stagnant Instagram account had been “compromised” and “used to unfold jarring misinformation and rumors relating to me…”

However the brand new assertion did little to assuage fears about Lil Tay’s well being and security, particularly contemplating ominous experiences over time detailing a bitter custody battle over her and rumors that she was being abused and exploited by family members.

Equally puzzling was her father’s response to a Submit reporter Wednesday. Christopher Hope, an lawyer who lives in Vancouver, simply added gas to the hearth when he wouldn’t discuss his youngsters’s purported deaths

“Yeah, you might have the best individual,” Hope told The Post, including: “Sorry, I can’t actually remark or offer you any assist.”

Deepening the thriller, Rolling Stone reported Thursday that the information coincided with the launch of a Little Tay crypto challenge apparently overseen by the lady’s supervisor Harry Tsang. Moreover, Tsang instructed Rolling Stone that he didn’t imagine there had been a hack — and that this may very well be the work of Tay’s brother.

“The actions of Liltay’s brother, famend for his propensity for excessive measures, lead me to hypothesize an alternate motive behind this prevalence,” Tsang instructed Rolling Stone. “It’s conceivable that the intention behind these occasions may very well be rooted in an endeavor to illicitly extract funds from devoted supporters and unwitting bystanders.”

The web site for LilTay Token was taken down after the lady emerged to say she was alive.

Lil Tay became internet famous in 2018 with videos that showed the child trash-talking and flaunting wads of cash in luxe settings.

Many of Lil Tay’s clips consisted of her appearing to pull up in an expensive car such as a Ferrari or Rolls Royce — complete with a sunglasses-clad dog in the passenger seat. 

In a single video she kicks within the door of an off-white Rolls, damaging it, whereas bragging about “dropping 400 racks” on this automotive and driving it round Beverly Hills with out a license.

It’s a theme that runs by her movies.

“It is a message to all y’all broke ass haters, y’all ain’t doin’ it like Lil Tay,” she mentioned in a single video displaying her flashing a stack of cash and getting into an expensive-looking sportscar. “Because of this all you f–king haters hate me. s–t price me $200,000. I’m solely 9 years previous. I ain’t acquired no license however I nonetheless drive this sportscar, b–ch.”

In 2019, New York magazine summed up the absurd Lil Tay lore: “She grew up ‘broke as hell’ in Atlanta however labored actually onerous ‘transferring bricks.’ Finally she acquired into Harvard after which dropped out. At one level … she claimed to be “partially black.” Now she lives in ‘the hills’ (which of them? She hasn’t specified).”

In actuality, Tay Tian is a bit lady who lives in Vancouver. Her mom has labored as an actual property dealer and her father is a lawyer. It was Jason, the brother, who reportedly created the Lil Tay character and coached his sister on what to say.

In 2018, a reporter for “Good Morning America” interviewed Lil Tay and her mom, Angela Tian, grilling them about Lil Tay’s vulgarity on display screen and experiences that her household was profiting off her movies.

“Nobody’s forcing me to do that,” Lil Tay mentioned as her smiling mom sat subsequent to her. “That’s not true that she [Angela] needs to generate profits off me.”

She rapidly related with different internet-famous varieties, together with the rapper Bhad Bhabie, made a video with rapper Chief Keef and, based on the New York journal profile, her household ran by a string of managers and didn’t observe by on a six-figure music deal for Tay.

However Lil Tay, who was mentioned to be home-schooled, stopped posting on her verified Instagram account in June 2018 after simply six months, with huge names weighing in on her “profession.”

Snoop Dogg criticized the kid’s use of the n-word however Bow Wow defended her, saying “she was in all probability simply taking a look at it like a type of leisure. She was simply taking part in a task.”

Movies displaying Tay flashing money in luxurious houses had been reportedly shot inside homes listed by her actual property dealer mom and no less than one of many costly vehicles she was seen in reportedly belonged to her mom’s boss. According to Vice, Angela’s boss said that she resigned from her job earlier than she may very well be fired.

By 2021, it appeared that Lil Tay’s life had taken a really sinister flip.

Her brother Jason organized a GoFundMe for his youthful sister titled “Save Tay from a Life of Abuse” and outlined a litany of nightmarish accusations.

Hope has beforehand mentioned of such allegations: “If there’s any abuse [of Lil Tay], it didn’t happen at my home or have something to do with me.”

Jason accused his father and his stepmother Hanee Hope, aka Richanee Alcover, of bodily and mentally abusing Tay and attempting to achieve custody of her simply to take advantage of and harm her.

The son mentioned Christopher Hope owed Angela Tian hundreds in youngster help for the children however refused to pay it, and that he gained 50/50 custody of Tay simply to scale back his funds.

Jason additionally accused Hope of bringing ladies house and having intercourse with them bare whereas Tay slept in the identical mattress. He claimed that Hope gave the lady “issues like moldy bread, moldy rooster with little maggots and parasites popping out of it, one-month-old pizza, leftover soggy white bread with ketchup, chilly burnt toast onerous as a rock, and generally solely crackers for lunch.”

The Hopes additionally hit Tay and locked her in a darkish closet at instances, Jason mentioned. The GoFundMe web page included photographs of Tay displaying what was mentioned to be cheek bruises inflicted by her father, moldy meals and a police report filed on Tay’s behalf in Vancouver, amongst different paperwork.

The Submit was unable to achieve Christopher Hope or any members of Tay’s household for touch upon these allegations or different points involving Tay and Jason Thursday.

When Tay’s mother appeared on “Good Morning America,” she introduced a portrait of her daughter not like the little lady’s on-line picture.

“She is well-mannered and a fantastic child,” she mentioned. Requested about Tay’s foul-mouthed movies, Angela mentioned merely that her daughter “has a ardour. Ardour and a dream.”