Schrödinger's Lil Tay - Deadseriousness

Lil Tay was an internet darling—what feels like 900 years ago—as a little Asian girl who was talking like a ratchet girl from the hood. What’s funnier than that?? It’s what the culture was begging for. We needed to know what Awkwafina would have been like if she was clout-chasing in elementary school.

Here’s an example of some of Lil Tay’s FIRE viral content:

What a legend. Isn’t it funny that she’s cursing because she’s a little girl and they don’t usually talk like that??

Anyway, she’s dead.

Her death (along with the mysteriously timed death of her brother) was shared on her Instagram account Wednesday morning.

RIP Claire. Gone at the young age of 14.

She had at least 18 more months of looking like a little girl and talking like an asshole on camera. Comedy will never be the same.

Everyone throw up your money phones in her honor.

The only problem now is the statement Lil Tay’s family put out on TMZ Thursday morning:

“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.”

“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”.

RIP Claire Hope but Tay Tian is built different.

I have no idea what’s going on behind the scenes where someone would want to kill off this teenager (and her brother) but if you watch any of her videos—and I’m sure you’ve seen them all—then you know she has plenty of haters out there mad at her because she’s getting money or whatever the fuck.

But shout out to all of the wonderful journalists out there who have let this girl trend for the last 48 hours without anyone having any idea whether or not she is alive. I love our very well-run country full of people who are very good at their jobs.