Meta Claims Lil Tay Really Was Hacked, Did Not Orchestrate Death Hoax

Although some believe that teenage social media sensation Lil Tay orchestrated her own death hoax in order to gain relevancy after disappearing from Instagram in 2018, Meta, Instagram's parent company, does not believe that to be the case.

The parent company for both Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, revealed that they really did have to help Lil Tay get back into her social media accounts after someone hacked her account on Wednesday and posted a statement announcing that she and her older brother, Jason Tian, had died.

On Saturday morning, Meta, Instagram’s parent company, confirmed that Lil Tay’s Instagram account was hacked and they helped the Internet celebrity restore her account. A spokesperson for Meta said that Lil Tay was being truthful about not being able to access her account following an erroneous statement announcing that she had passed away.

Not only that, but TMZ is now revealing that, shortly before the statement went up on her Instagram page, they were contacted by someone who claimed to be a rep for the family. They provided the outlet with a full press release, claiming that both she and her brother had passed away at their mother’s home in Vancouver, Canada.

However, TMZ did not run the story after they contacted police in the Vancouver area and various family members, who had no idea that Lil Tay had supposedly passed away. Lil Tay later gave the outlet a statement on Thursday, announcing to the world that she was still 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. It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours,” she told TMZ on Thursday afternoon.

“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 continued. “My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong. My legal name is Tay Tian, not ‘Claire Hope’.”

To add even more confusion to the situation, her ex-manager, Harry Tsang, publicly accused Lil Tay and her older brother of being the masterminds behind their own death hoax in order to regain relevancy on social media.

On Thursday, her ex-manager Harry Tsang provided a written statement to the Daily Mail announcing that he believed that Lil Tay was the mastermind behind her own death hoax in order to launch her comeback.

“Upon learning about Lil Tay’s assertion of her well-being, I find relief in the fact that she is safe. However, I believe the reported hacking incident may not have occurred,” he wrote. “My rationale for this perspective is twofold: firstly, the restoration of a compromised account on platforms like Meta/Instagram typically does not necessitate a 24-hour timeframe,” although Meta has now confirmed that her account really was hacked.

“Secondly, the actions of Lil Tay’s brother, renowned for his propensity for extreme measures, lead me to hypothesize an alternative motive behind this occurrence,” he added, noting that Lil Tay’s older brother, Jason Tian, has still not spoken out on the death hoax.

“Simultaneously, if the underlying motive is indeed to rekindle Lil Tay’s prominence within the public sphere, I contend that such actions demonstrate a certain degree of irresponsibility,” Tsang wrote. “It’s essential to consider the potential repercussions of employing such tactics, particularly given their potential impact on the perceptions and sentiments of the broader audience.”

The Instagram statement posted to her account on Wednesday had now been deleted. It was Lil Tay's first post since 2018, which led many to question its validity. The message began, “It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing. We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain.”

This outcome was entirely unexpected and has left us all in shock. Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief,” they continued. “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.”

Now, it appears that the culprit behind this fake death hoax is currently under investigation.