Lil Tay Returns To LA After Mother Wins Custody Battle

Angela Tian, the mother of former viral star Tay "Lil Tay" Tian has formally won custody of her 14-year-old daughter. Lil Tay was the subject of a death hoax earlier this month. Lil Tay went viral in 2018 as an 8-year-old, calling herself "the world's youngest flexer" and posting extravagant videos featuring money, houses, and cars. It is believed that the videos were encouraged by her mother, who worked as a realtor at the time. However, Tian would later relocate to Vancouver to live with her father, Christopher Hope, after the filing of a court order. Hope reportedly objected to the content Tian was appearing in. The 8-year-old had garnered some controversy, especially after words of her using the n-word emerged.

Per TMZ, Tian is now the sole and primary care of her mother. Furthermore, she is authorized to leave the Vancouver area if she so wishes. Furthermore, Hope will be required to pay $275,000 in retroactive child support. He will continue to make payments while Tian is still a minor. Furthermore, Angela Tian has hinted that this legal victory will begin a comeback for "Lil Tay".

Lil Tay's Mother Wins Major Legal Victory

"I have been financially ruined fighting for my daughter’s rights and freedom which should have never been taken away to begin with. We have won our case in court and my children and I can finally move on from this nightmare. My daughter can pursue and achieve her dreams on her own terms. We are finally a happy family again, together." Angela Tian told TMZ after the ruling was announced.

It's unclear what form Lil Tay will return in if that is what Tian means by "my daughter can pursue and achieve her dreams on her own terms." Lil Tay was very much a product of its time, the era of Vine and the height of "cringe comedy". Of course, TikTok is its own beast. However, is there even a place for Lil Tay in this modern world of viral content. The problem is that the curtain has been lifted. There isn't the magic of an 8-year-old "flexing" online. Instead, Tian would return as a 14-year-old who recently held the national spotlight and whom everyone knows is explicitly trying to go viral. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Tian but congratulations on the milestone legal victory.

[via]