Her bathtub costs more than your rent. Her sink costs more than your rent. Her closet costs more than your rent.
In 2018, everything 9-year-old Lil Tay owned cost more than your rent.
Canadian teenage rapper and social media personality Lil Tay received her first taste of the limelight in 2018 when her rap videos and sassy, foul-mouthed personality quickly gained attention on many social media sites, most prominently Instagram and YouTube. Often seen posing alongside multi-million dollar sports cars and adorned in luxury clothing, her bratty attitude and tendency to boast about her riches made her the face of many online memes and jokes. So much so, that she adopted her own moniker of being the “youngest flexer of the century,” meaning she was essentially the most wealthy boaster of her age. However, her quick dose of fame was ultimately short-lived, and by late 2018, she was mostly forgotten by the media. Finally, everyone’s rent was safe from the elementary school bully.
On Aug. 9, 2023, Lil Tay’s Instagram account was posted on after two years of inactivity to share the news that the 14-year-old had tragically passed away. “It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” the post read. “Claire will remain forever in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.” The eulogy also revealed that Lil Tay’s brother, 21-year-old Jason Tian, had also unexpectedly passed away from an undisclosed cause.
After her half-decade hiatus, the media was swept up in a frenzy of condolences and confusion following her unexpected demise. With no information as to how Tay passed away, the public was free to craft as many conspiracy theories as they could possibly come up with. While some believed that Tay’s death was, in fact, just an abrupt tragedy, a large portion of people believed that foul play was involved, specifically from her now-divorced parents, Christopher Hope and Angela Tian.
Previous to her passing, the Tian-Hope family was involved in an extremely heated custody trial in 2021 between Tay’s two parents that allegedly made its way to the Canadian Supreme Court. Tay’s older brother and mother both seemed to want her to continue her “dreams” of playing the same ill-mannered character on social media that she had previously been portraying, while Tay’s father preferred that she considered a more traditional route of work, such as acting or singing. Much to their disappointment, Jason and Angela Tian ended up losing the court case, and Tay’s father, Christopher, had full custody of the young girl. The family had been silent on the matter until Tay and her brother’s sudden death this past August.
However, her supposed death—much like her career— didn’t last long.
The day after her passing announcement—on Aug. 10, 2023—Tay reportedly said in an interview with TMZ that both her death was an orchestrated hoax. “I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken and struggling to find the right words to say. My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point where they even got my name wrong. My legal name is Tay Tian, not ‘Claire Hope.’”
Immediately, the media doubted the authenticity of the post. Coming from a teenager whose claim to fame was cussing people out and throwing tantrums about her unquenchable thirst for money, such an articulate statement from the girl seemed almost too good to be true. The whole situation—both the death rumors and the response—seemed all like a contrived publicity stunt. With such little context, however, the skepticism was later abandoned, and the media began to move on and accept that even without further clarification, Lil Tay was, in fact, alive.
Nonetheless, it seemed like Lil Tay wasn’t quite ready to move on.
Two months after her death was faked, Tay came onto social media to post an atomic bomb of information to the internet. “My racist, misogynistic, woman-beating father faked my death,” the post read, captioned with a photo of her father labeled “Christopher Hope.” After months of silence on the topic, the public was alarmed once again by the lack of context and absurd claims Tay was making against her father.
To clarify her claims, Tay took to Instagram to start a livestream and further explain her current situation. On the stream, Tay was seen equipped with props to further demonstrate the point she was trying to get across. “He was finding random women off of Craigslist,” Tay said, holding up a printed receipt of what was supposed to be an email her father sent to a woman on the app. “But it doesn’t end there. Because he’s a racist,” she stated with a sheet of paper in her hand that said “RACIST” in bold, black font. Her stature during the live was quickly compared to that of a school presentation, and many believed that this was once again a fame-seeking action from the family.
Following the Instagram livestream, there were still some concerned followers of Lil Tay who spoke up on social media platforms to express their sympathy. “I don’t see enough people talking about this, but it’s incredibly sad. Lil Tay is a victim,” one X user wrote. The majority of the public, however, was convinced that the claims Tay was making were all attention-seeking lies and she was only speaking up to gain back the relevance she had lost. “All I see is a PR stunt,” said one skeptic. Some were quick to point out that Christopher Hope had denied all allegations and just wanted what was best for his daughter, while Tay’s mother and brother—who had not said anything regarding the situation—only wanted to use her for her celebrity status and wealth.
With the media divided over what is factual and what is a falsehood, there is one undeniable truth that people seem to be forgetting: despite who is at fault, Tay has clearly been in the middle of a miserable familial situation from both sides of her complicated family. As a vulnerable teenage girl who has been blinded by the media, neither one of her parental figures nor her older brother seems to be making a positive impact in her life, despite whatever evidence they provide to prove that they do. Rather than contributing to the swarm of opinions concerning Tay and her family and swindling the girl into believing whatever the media thinks, the best thing to do for the time being is to attempt to give Tay back the childhood she lost by distancing her from the family that clearly has muddled intentions surrounding her career.
No matter how much money and riches she has gained from the situation, Tay has undeniably had her youth stolen from her. Despite which side the public takes, what she ultimately needs is not a higher rent or more expensive cars, but a family who truly has her best interest in mind.
