Lil Tay is alive, but her situation is confusing and really, really sad [Updated]

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.