Christopher Hope, Lil Tay‘s father, has strongly refuted allegations that he orchestrated her death hoax on social media, deeming them “false and absurd.” In response to an Instagram Story posted on Lil Tay’s official account that accuses him of this, Hope tells TMZ that the claims are not only untrue but also defamatory.
He warns that legal action may ensue, stating, “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.”
Lil Tay became the target of a cruel hoax that falsely claimed she and her brother had passed away, following a hack of her social media accounts last month. “My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me,” Lil Tay’s representatives said in a statement to TMZ.
In her latest Instagram stories, shared on Tuesday (September 26), the 14-year-old influencer accused her estranged father of masterminding her death hoax while branding him a “racist woman beater.” The post, showing a photo of Hope, read: “My abusive, racist, misogynistic, woman beating father faked my death.”
Despite these claims, Hope vehemently denies all the accusations, insisting that they are entirely baseless.
“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.”
It was publicly known that Tay’s parents: Chris Hope and Angela Tian – had been involved in a nasty custody battle over her. She reportedly endured years of abuse from her absentee father and was ‘fighting for her life, future and freedom’ according to a GoFundMe page set up by her brother in 2021.
He alleged that Chris had stolen millions of dollars from his sister, took control of her career, forced her into silence, and was now trying to gain full custody over her.
Chris denied the allegations to Hollywood Life, calling them all ‘lies’ and claiming that he was simply trying to protect her.
“When my daughter’s social media began to go viral this year, I disagreed with most of the social media activity,’ he said at the time. “I took legal steps to stop things which I felt were dangerous to her physical and mental health and to her future.
“I do not think a 10-year-old girl should be put in those situations and made to drop out of school so that she can make money for other people. Everyone else involved in this situation is motivated by money and the possibility of making money off of my daughter. I am not fighting about money/I am fighting for my daughter – for her happiness and her future.”
Recently, Lil Tay’s mother, Angela, broke her silence, revealing that she has reached a $275K agreement with the social media star’s father after years of contention. According to a statement released on her behalf via social media, Angela will now have sole decision-making authority over Lil Tay.
Tay who was born Claire Hope, rose to fame at age nine by flashing stacks of cash, using inflammatory language, and starting feuds with other social media stars.
