Lil Tay accuses dad of death hoax, makes first public appearance in 5 years

Lil Tay made her first public appearance in five years, arriving at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday, just one day after allegedly accusing her father of being the mastermind of her death hoax last month.

It was a curious scene at LAX as Tay appeared heavily covered in a hoodie, mask and sunglasses while surrounded by security, her mother and brother Jason, reports TMZ.

The former social media rapper and child influencer attracted a mob of photographers but did not answer any of the questions thrown at her. She instead got into a car and sped off without a word.

The paparazzi had been tipped off by Tay herself, when she posted a picture of her passport the day before, implying she was on the move from her home country of Canada.

She also made headlines on Tuesday when a picture of her father was posted to her Instagram story with text that read, “MY ABUSIVE RACIST MISOGYNISTIC WOMAN BEATING FATHER FAKED MY DEATH,” according to screenshots circulating online.

The internet was set ablaze on August 9 when a post to Tay’s Instagram erroneously shared news of her tragic death, while claiming her brother had also recently died.

However, suspicions grew throughout the day as some who knew Tay, including her father, said they could not – or would not – confirm the allegations.

It wasn’t until the next day that Tay herself said she and her brother were both still alive. She claimed her account had been “compromised by a third party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumours regarding me”.

After reports of Lil Tay’s death at 14, father, ex-manager won’t confirm

Her father, Christopher Hope, responded to the allegations that he was behind the hoax, telling TMZ the claims were bogus and that he could take whoever was responsible to court for defamation.

“Everything stated is 100 per cent 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,” he added.

Tay’s parents have been in the midst of a messy custody battle over Tay for years, but her mother reportedly won the recently settled case.

The victory could mean more time in the US for Tay, a change from a 2018 court order that allowed her father to take her from Los Angeles to Vancouver, British Columbia, to live with him.