Lil Tay‘s father has responded to allegations about him being an “abusive racist” who was behind her death hoax.
An Instagram Story posted to Tay’s account on Tuesday (September 26) accused her dad, Christopher Hope, of faking her death, along with being a “misogynistic woman-beat[er].”
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“My abusive racist misogynistic woman beating father faked my death,” read the post, which was accompanied by a photo of Hope.
Hope later issued a statement to TMZ denying the allegations and threatening to sue whoever made them.
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“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,” he said.
“Everything stated is 100 percent 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.”
Lil Tay and her brother’s deaths were first “announced” on the former’s Instagram page in August.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” the post read.
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“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.
“Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.”
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However, just one day later, Lil Tay provided a statement to TMZ stating that she and her brother were actually 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.
“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 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’.”
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TMZ later reported that a spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Instagram, confirmed that it had to help the 14-year-old restore her account from a hacker.
