Lil Tay Manager Thinks Death Hoax Was NOT Hacking — But A Publicity Stunt!

Lil Tay’s former manager isn’t buying that a hacker was behind her death hoax!

For those who haven’t been keeping up, this bizarre situation began on Wednesday when a since-deleted message appeared on the internet personality’s Instagram account announcing she and her brother, Jason Tian, unexpectedly died. Both of their deaths also were “under investigation,” per the statement.

The news of their deaths rocked social media. However, many soon grew suspicious of this death announcement once people close to Tay started to speak out about the situation. Lil Tay’s ex-manager Harry Tsang said he could not “confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement.” Even her father, Chris Hope, refused to confirm the teenager’s passing!

Related: Lil Tay’s YouTube Bio Was Changed To Disturbing Message MONTHS Ago!

Further fueling everyone’s suspicions? Both the Los Angeles Police Department and Vancouver Police Department said there was no investigation for anyone named Claire Hope, Tay’s supposed legal name. So naturally, folks began to doubt whether this announcement was true!

In a shocking twist of events, the 14-year-old (whose now says her legal name is Tay Tian) came forward on Thursday to reveal she and Jason were very much alive! As for how this announcement came to be? Lil Tay claimed her “Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party, and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me.” Hmm…

While fans are, of course, breathing a sigh of relief that Lil Tay is alive, some are questioning whether this whole debacle was a publicity stunt by the former viral star — including her former manager. Tsang told Fox News Digital on Thursday he’s relieved by “the fact that she is safe.” But he does not believe she was ever hacked! Nope!

Harry is guessing this was nothing more than a tool to get Lil Tay’s name back in the headlines:

“However, I believe the reported hacking incident may not have occurred. My rationale for this perspective is two-fold: firstly, the restoration of a compromised account on platforms like Meta/Instagram typically does not necessitate a 24-hour timeframe.”

As for who was behind it all? Well, he believes Jason was the mastermind behind the hoax! Not only does Harry think her brother wanted to get Lil Tay back in the spotlight after years of her being MIA online, he’s guessing he also hoped to “illicitly extract funds” from fans! What?! He explained to the outlet:

“Secondly, the actions of Liltay’s brother, renowned for his propensity for extreme measures, lead me to hypothesize an alternative motive behind this occurrence. It is conceivable that the intention behind these events could be rooted in an endeavor to illicitly extract funds from devoted supporters and unwitting bystanders.”

With another fundraiser like he posted in 2021?? Harry continued:

“Simultaneously, if the underlying motive is indeed to rekindle Liltay’s prominence within the public sphere, I contend that such actions demonstrate a certain degree of irresponsibility. 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.”

Wow…

If it turns out to be true that Jason orchestrated this whole scheme to bring back her public persona and get money from her followers, that is beyond messed up! But it also wouldn’t be shocking if he decided to pull this. Back in 2021, Jason made a GoFundMe to get some cash, telling fans their allegedly abusive dad stole all her money once he got custody of 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. As a result, it was court ordered that my sister had to return to Vancouver, Canada… Since then he has stolen millions of dollars from my sister and has taken control of all her funds.”

Was this a plan to get money using her name? What we do know is, folks will want some answers from Lil Tay and her family soon following her former manager’s latest statement!

What do YOU think, Perezcious readers? Do you believe this was a publicity stunt? Sound OFF in the comments below.

[Image via Zach Sang Show/YouTube]