The Instagram account for YouTuber Lil Tay slammed her father, Christopher Hope, as an “abusive racist” who faked her death, but he’s fighting back on the allegations made on the account Tuesday.
“The person who is responsible for that Instagram post, as well as anyone repeating the completely false and libelous accusation within it, are virtually certain to become defendants in a defamation lawsuit,” the Canada-based attorney told TMZ in a statement.
“Everything stated is 100% false, and I trust that this should be obvious to anyone who knows me or the long history of absurd and untrue statements made by the various people who have controlled the Instagram account.”
Pvnew has reached out to Tay’s reps for comment but did not immediately hear back.
The Instagram post, which also accused Hope of being a “misogynistic woman beating father,” is still online as of Tuesday afternoon, as well as a second post of a closed passport book being held by a hand with black fake nails.
It is unclear if Tay or another individual who runs the account is behind the defamatory post.
There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the life of social media sensation, whose real name is Claire Hope, ever since she was declared dead at 14 in early August.
A post on her Instagram account read at the time, “We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribably [sic] pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock.
“Her bother’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.”
The statement concluded, “Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.”
As the hours passed, fans grew concerned about what may have lead to the siblings’ alleged deaths since Tay’s brother, Jason Tian, had previously claimed that his sister was a victim of child abuse.
In an April 2021 GoFundMe titled “Save Tay From a Life of Abuse,” he said their father, Chris, was “fighting to permanently gain control of [Tay’s] career as well as custody over her.
“My sister Tay has been silent on social media for the past 3 years because her absentee father (Chris Hope) served my mother a court order demanding control over Tay’s money, career, and custody, and as a result it was court ordered that my sister had to return to Vancouver, Canada.”
He also claimed the lawyer sent his daughter to school with “moldy bread, moldy chicken with little maggots and parasites coming out of it, one month old pizza, leftover soggy white bread with ketchup, cold burnt toast hard as a rock, and sometimes only crackers” for lunch.
Tay herself made similar claims in an interview with the Daily Beast in 2018. However, Chris denied the allegations via a spokesperson at the time.
“There are only three things he wants to see. First, no more crazy videos of cursing from Tay. Second, 25 percent of the gross earnings going to a trust fund dedicated to Tay. The third thing is, there has to be structure in her operation, in her public image,” Charles Wong told the Daily Beast.
Despite the family’s history of turmoil, Tay’s alleged former manager cast doubt on the validity of the death announcement since its onset.
“One thing I would question is who posted that statement and why isn’t it signed by anyone from the family,” the person, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Sun at the time.
“Why is it not signed, ‘This is Tay’s mom,’ or ‘This is the dad of Lil Tay,’ or from an official representative? Why is there no attachment?”
A day later, Tay told TMZ that she was very much alive and that her death had indeed been a hoax.
“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,” the teen previously told the outlet.
“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.”
She also claimed at the time that her Instagram account had been “compromised by a 3rd party.”
However, Tay’s former manager, Harry Tsang, was not buying the hacking claims.
“I think she’s still alive, and I think it was fake,” he told previously The New York Post.
“I don’t believe anything that they say about the hacking. I’m glad that she’s OK.”
