Instagram (Jason Tian) Jason Tian and Lil Tay
Jason Tian is the brother of social media influencer Lil Tay. He and his sister were the victim of a social media death hoax after a hacker took over the 14-year-old viral star’s Instagram account and claimed to be her family.
The August 9, 2023, post has since been deleted after Lil Tay regained control of the Instagram account, according to TMZ. Lil Tay told TMZ in a statement, “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. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.”
Lil Tay added, “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.'”
Tian, who was Lil Tay’s half-brother, had been linked over the years with the orchestration of Lil Tay’s controversial rap persona, and he had accused her father, Chris Hope, of abuse in a lengthy GoFundMe page post in 2021.
Although Lil Tay had millions of followers across social media after breaking out in 2017 with a series of controversial rap videos, she had mostly vanished from the public eye in recent years.
In 2019, when The Cut wrote a profile about Tian’s influence on Lil Tay’s career, the site reported that he was 16 years old and Lil Tay’s “half- brother.” Their mother’s name is Angela Tian, according to The Cut.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lil Tay’s Brother’s Passing ‘Adds an Even More Unimaginable Depth to Our Grief,’ the Fake Instagram Post Said
Lil Tay has passed away. #RIP 🕊️
“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,” the now-deleted Instagram post read. “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. 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,” the post said before it was taken down on August 9.
Lil Tay’s Brother, Jason Tian, Wrote on a GoFundMe Page That She Was Being Abused by Her Father
In 2021, Tian created a GoFundMe page to raise money for Lil Tay that accused her father of abuse and included photos showing her with injuries and meager lunches. On it, he referred to Lil Tay as Tay Tian:
Lil Tay will be fighting for her life, future and freedom starting April 23, 2021. Tay is in desperate need of funds to support her fight against her abusive father, as a result of this situation she has been in a state of depression. ALL FUNDS raised through this GoFundMe will go towards Tay’s legal fees to give her the fighting chance in court to save her from a life of abuse.. Towards her future, and freedom.
Starting April 23, 2021, Tay will be on trial in the BC Supreme Court of Canada up against her absentee father Chris Hope, who along with his wife Hanee Hope (previously known as Richanee Alcover), had physically and mentally abused her. Chris Hope is fighting to permanently gain control of her career as well as custody over her.
The page continued: “Starting April 23, 2021, Tay will be on trial in the BC Supreme Court of Canada up against her absentee father Chris Hope, who along with his wife Hanee Hope (previously known as Richanee Alcover), had physically and mentally abused her. Chris Hope is fighting to permanently gain control of her career as well as custody over her.”
Tian also wrote:
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 requested through a court order to prevent her from speaking out about the truth. Since then he has stolen millions of dollars from my sister and has taken control of all her funds. He has signed million dollar deals and taken all of Tay’s money for himself, he has spent millions buying himself and his wife (Hanee Hope) a new mansion, speed boat, nice cars, trips to spas, salons, fancy restaurants, trips to Egypt, Dubai, Mexico, Philippines, Hawaii, the UK, Paris, designer clothing and jewelry/watches from head to toe, they have been living a lavish lifestyle for the past 3 years off of Tay’s money.
The post goes on at length. It is still live and has raised more than $17,000.
The Cut reported that Lil Tay’s dad, Chris Hope, who lives in Canada, had joint custody of her and learned about the Lil Tay persona from her school. “Although Chris Hope has joint custody of his daughter, his ex-girlfriend Angela was Claire’s primary caretaker, and he felt he couldn’t do much to stop the making of Lil Tay,” the Cut reported, adding that Lil Tay’s mom, Angela Tian, told him she wanted to take Lil Tay to Los Angeles.
He told the Cut that “he couldn’t get a straight answer on when they’d return home. His daughter was missing school and eventually racked up 72 absences for the year,” and he said he was concerned about her videos and her “hanging out with adults who appeared to be smoking weed.” According to the Cut, Lil Tay’s father is a lawyer, and “he got a court order requiring his daughter to return to Vancouver and close down the account.” The Cut reported that Hope did not want to shut down his daughter’s career just manage it differently.
“I was bullied, cyberbullied — whatever phrase you want to use — by the millions of people that follow those posts,” Hope said after posts appeared accusing him of being an abusive and neglectful father. At that point, the case remained in court, and Hope was living in Vancouver, according to The Cut.
Hope also spoke to Hollywood Life in 2018 when accusations against him online were attributed to a hacker, saying: “My daughter is hurting and she is angry. I regret that I was unable to stop all the negative things from happening to her. I am heartbroken about what has happened, not only to her, but also to my other family members, due to past events and now, due to the lies and harassment that were posted on Instagram. I don’t know if the Instagram was hacked or not; all I know is that the person or people controlling the Instagram did things that are crimes in Canada and in California, and we will see what happens with that.”
The father eventually was granted full custody of Lil Tay by a judge in Canada, according to Paper Magazine.
Jason Tian, Who Had a Failed Rap Career as ‘Rycie’ on YouTube, Was Described as the ‘Genius Behind the Curtain’
The 2019 article in The Cut described Tian as very influential over Lil Tay’s burgeoning influencer career.
“Lil Tay is the face and the attitude, but if this is a case study in the creation of social-media fame, then Jason, Lil Tay’s half-brother, is the genius behind the curtain.”
According to The Cut:
Jason had his own past on the internet. Going by Rycie on YouTube, he primarily posted diss raps in hopes of igniting online fights with YouTubers who had more followers. But his act was derivative and redundant and never gained much traction. So Jason, who’s reportedly obsessed with the internet and its star-making power, hatched a different plan. A little girl saying all of the things he thought — that was something new, much more outrageous, and clickable. And he had just the little girl.
The Cut wrote: “Jason wrote Lil Tay’s lines and coached her on how to say them; Tay was a natural actress and an eager participant.”
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