Courtesy of Lil Tay/Instagram
Who Is Lil Tay’s Family? Meet Her Parents and Half-Brother Jason Tian Amid False Death Reports
Lil Tay – whose real name was Tay Tian – rose to fame at the age of 9 as a viral content creator before a false death announcement surfaced in August 2023. While the influencer experienced popularity on social media, her parents previously spoke out against abuse allegations.
Who Are Lil Tay’s Parents?
Lil Tay is the daughter of Angela Tian and Christopher J. Hope.
The social media star was raised in Vancouver, Canada, until she relocated with her mother to Los Angeles at 9 years old.
Known for her controversial content online, Lil Tay spoke out against allegations that her parents were exploiting her in an interview with ABC News’ Juju Chang in May 2018.
“No one is forcing me to do this,” she said of her social media content which often depicted her swearing or pretending to do drugs, adding that “it’s not true” that her mother “wants to make money off me.”
Her mom, alongside her, added that she was “proud” of her daughter and described her as “a great kid” who was just “entertaining people” online.
That same year, Lil Tay was ordered to move back to Canada with her father. During that time, a hacker accused her father of “abusing” his daughter and “destroying her life” for financial gain.
“My daughter is hurting and she is angry. I regret that I was unable to stop all the negative things from happening to her,” Chris, an attorney in Vancouver, said in October 2018. “When my daughter’s social media began to go viral this year, I disagreed with most of the social media activity. I took legal steps to stop things which I felt were dangerous to her physical and mental health and to her future.”
Who Is Lil Tay’s Brother?
Lil Tay has one sibling, an older half-brother named Jason Tian. Jason was also rumored to have died suddenly in August 2023.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” a since-deleted announcement shared via Lil Tay’s Instagram account read on August 9. “We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain.”
Their statement continued, “Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief. 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. Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.”
One day after the death rumors circulated, the teenager spoke to TMZ, revealing that she and Jason are “safe and alive.”
“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,” she said in a statement on Thursday, August 10. “It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours. 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 third party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me.”
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