Social Media

Lil Tay really did have her Instagram compromised by someone who used the page to falsely claim she was dead ... Meta tells us they helped get the account back in her hands.

There's been serious doubts about the social media personality's story after it turned out this week's shocking news of her death was all a hoax ... but a spokesperson for Meta says Lil Tay is being truthful about not being able to access her IG.

Remember ... Lil Tay's fake death was announced Wednesday morning on her Instagram ... with the statement saying her "sudden and tragic passing" was an "unbearable loss," and claiming her family was in complete shock.

It appears the alleged hackers didn't stop at a social media announcement ... before the ominous post Wednesday, TMZ was contacted by someone claiming to be a rep for Lil Tay's family with a full press release and said she and her brother had died at their mother's home in Vancouver.

But, when TMZ contacted police in the Vancouver area as well as family members, everyone was totally in the dark.

Lil Tay's family gave us a statement from her Thursday, which said she was very much alive and that, "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."

Tay also thanked Meta for helping to get her Instagram account back, and the phony death statement has since been scrubbed.

A Meta company spokesman confirmed Tay's account, telling us they did help her get her IG back from the hacker.

It will be interesting to see if Lil Tay becomes more active on IG now ... she hasn't posted since June 2018, despite having over 3.5 million followers.

Social media personality Lil Tay is very much still alive -- claiming her Instagram account was compromised -- and used to spread "jarring misinformation" about her and her brother's death.

In a statement provided to TMZ from Tay's family, she tells TMZ, "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."

She also says, "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"."

Tay thanks Meta for helping to get her Instagram account back, and the phony death statement has been removed.

What's still unclear is why it took Tay 24 hours to get word out she's alive, especially because she says she was aware her account was hacked ... and was getting phone calls about her "death."

On Wednesday, TMZ contacted police in the Vancouver area as well as family members who were totally in the dark, and knew nothing of her passing. Now we know why.

Tay's fake death was announced Wednesday morning on her Instagram ... the statement said her "sudden and tragic passing" is an "unbearable loss," adding her family is in complete shock.

The statement also claimed her brother died, "Her brother's passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief."

Lil Tay got her fame as the "World's Youngest Flexer" that rapped and showed off a lavish lifestyle across social media. She's garnered 3.2 million followers on Instagram, but hadn't posted on the account since 2018.

You'll recall, Tay was caught in the middle of a nasty custody battle between her parents, Angela Tian and Christopher Hope -- one we were told had been going on in court since 2018, around the same time the influencer went radio silent online.

TikTok star "Uncle Chris" -- famous for the Yeet Baby videos -- is getting treatment in a mental health facility after a difficult several months ... which all led up to his alleged disappearance.

As we reported, Chris Rooney's family went to the cops last week after they couldn't get in touch and feared the worst. A short time later, officers told us Chris had been located safe, but it was unclear what led up to his family's report.

Now, Rooney's family is explaining what happened behind the scenes, saying, "As many of you know, his life the last 6 months has been nothing short of difficult. What you all witnessed leading up to his disappearance was all of his emotions coming to a head."

Those following along with Chris' life likely knew he had recently separated from his wife -- at times talking about it on social media.

What's more, his family says, "Prior to his disappearance he had seen the movie "Sound of Freedom," and like many others, he was sick to his core over it. This prompted him to post links to raise money for the cause of ending child sex trafficking. To many of you this may have seemed odd, but he genuinely wanted and still wants to help this cause."

Chris's family says he wasn't acting like himself, and when they couldn't get in touch with him, they feared the worst ... calling the police to make a missing person's report.

Thankfully, they learned he was in the mental health facility several hours later -- where he remains -- and is getting the treatment he needs.

Chris also released a statement, saying, "Unfortunately, there was nothing anyone could do to help me. It is something that I have to work on and am going to make it my life's mission to not only get myself healthy but also others. If there is one thing I have learned during this time, there are a lot of hurting people in this world and I am going to do everything I can to help them."

TikTok star Lexy Burke and her country singer hubby Austin Burke are super shaken after a bullet ripped through their Tennessee home.

Austin tells TMZ ... he was sitting on his couch Sunday night while Lexy was upstairs taking a bath when they both heard gunshots ... and then they felt their house rattle.

He says they checked their surveillance cameras and heard a gun being loaded, cocked, and fired. He called police, who came and quickly discovered a bullet hole in the home's exterior.

TMZ obtained a photo of the bullet hole ... as well as home security footage in which you hear the gun discharge. You can't see who fired the shot in the video.

Police in Nashville tell TMZ ... officers responded to the couple's home over the weekend for a shots fired report. We're told no arrests have been made and the case remains under investigation.

Austin tells us it's "incredibly unsettling" knowing someone fired a gun at their home in the middle of the night with his pregnant wife inside. He has no idea who did it.

A scary few hours for the family of TikTok personality "Uncle Chris" -- famous for his Yeet Baby videos -- as his family reported him missing to cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Chris Rooney's family made a missing person's report for the social media star Thursday with cops in Virginia after they couldn't get in touch. It's unclear why his family felt they needed to escalate the incident to police ... but clearly, something happened to cause them concern.

From there ... the message of Rooney's alleged disappearance spread across various social media platforms, with his family and friends desperate to get in touch.

After several hours, our law enforcement sources tell us Chris made contact with the police to let them know of his whereabouts and to report he was safe.

No word on whether or not he's been reunited with his family or what happened in the days and hours leading up to his alleged disappearance.

Chris, along with his niece and nephew, has become very popular on TikTok -- amassing more than 5 million followers -- mostly for videos of the tots trying to fill cups with large containers of various liquids.

Drake's joining forces with Snapchat to bring one of the social media platform's most popular filters with him on tour ... and the results are quite the sight to see.

Here's the deal, Drake's recently started using a new camera feature on crowd shots at his "It Was All a Blur" Tour ... an augmented reality filter powered by Snapchat technology.

As you can see, the AR lens makes it look like people are crying ... even when they aren't. Drake is using the filter when he performs his hit, "Laugh Now Cry Later," with the stage screens showing the crying lens on audience members.

Champagne Papi debuted the Snapchat tech during his July 17 show in Brooklyn, and we're told he will be using it at each concert for the remainder of his tour.

The crying lens has become one of Snap's most popular lenses and has been used over a billion times. Drake has a long-standing relationship with the company -- he even performed at one of its holiday parties.

Drizzy's busted out a whole bag o' tricks on this tour ... like an ugly Anna Wintour, giant sperm cells, massive Ghostface, and a hologram of the late Virgil Abloh.

The female fan who caught Drake's attention with her bra at a recent concert is makin' moves after the viral moment ... and we've learned Playboy is ready to sign her.

ICYMI, 21-year-old Veronica Correia tossed her 36G bra on stage during the rapper's show at Barclay's Center in New York last week -- and Drake picked it up, hilariously saying "Locate this woman immediately."

We spoke with Veronica, who gave us a breakdown of that entire night, particularly the big bra moment ... and says Drake's already responded to one of her posts, but she hasn't hit the guy back yet.

She also got a DM from Playboy, offering her the chance to join the team in some capacity -- an offer it sounds like she couldn't refuse.

For those unaware, Playboy's done away with its long-running magazines and has switched over to an OnlyFans-style business model. While Veronica hasn't been that gung-ho for OF, despite getting asked, something about Playboy must've called to her.

BTW, Veronica owns a coffee shop called Café La La in Cumberland, RI ... and after the wild interaction, she's considering renaming a drink after Drake -- either the Drizzy Drizzle or straight up the 36G.

It's definitely no longer Prime day in Canada ... officials up north said this week they're recalling Logan Paul and KSI's popular energy drink -- due to its high caffeine content.

Health Canada announced the decision Wednesday ... saying at 200 milligrams of caffeine per can, Prime Energy needs to be pulled from store shelves.

Officials said the caffeine in each container -- which is equal to roughly two full cans of Red Bull -- is just too high ... coming in at 20 milligrams over the country's recommended limit of 180 per serving.

The move comes just a couple days after United States senator Chuck Schumer questioned whether the social media influencers' beverage should be sold in American stores as well.

The democrat argued that it posed a "serious health concern" for kids ... and he urged the Food and Drug Administration to investigate it all.

For their part, Paul and KSI have fired back ... noting that Prime Energy is different than the Prime Hydration beverage that they initially launched back in 2022.

The hydration one, they and the company reiterated, is for everyone ... while the energy version -- which dropped earlier this year -- is "not recommended" for anyone under 18 years old.

Paul recently created a sarcastic social media video where he attempted to demonstrate the difference between the drinks and water.

"As a brand," Prime officials added in a statement earlier this week, "our top priority is consumer safety, so we welcome discussions with the FDA or any other organization regarding suggested industry changes they feel are necessary in order to protect consumers."

All versions of the Prime drinks have become wildly popular since their debuts ... as the social media stars have aggressively advertised it to their legions of fans with a ton of success.

More social media drama for Selena Gomez -- or so it seems anyway ... especially if you put any stock into her official digital friend count.

The singer is said to have unfollowed a string of famous people of late -- including Dua Lipa, Zayn Malik, whom she was rumored to have been dating in March. Not just that ... but his baby mama, Gigi Hadid, and her sister, Bella, have also been scrubbed from Selena's IG "following" tab.

While it's unclear when Selena might've stopped following these folks, we know for certain they're not there now. And SG was following most (if not all) of them in the recent past.

So the question ... what gives??? And more importantly ... does this actually matter?!?

On its face -- coupled with Selena's history of social media feuds -- it would appear that it does ... especially on the Zayn front. Rumors swirled this past Spring about the two of them seeing each other, not to mention one alleged sighting where they were seen kissing at dinner.

While Selena has since made it clear she's "single" ... the Zayn rumor picked up steam for a while. Obviously, they're both pop stars -- and also seem to run in adjacent circles.

The Hadids and Selena have also palled around over the years -- and as for Dua, she was gushing over Selena just 6 or 7 months ago when asked about the prospect of collaborating with her ... ditto for Selena, BTW, who was quoted as being down in the same article.

Again, we have no idea why Selena unfollowed all of them ... but it points to some kind of falling out, which has been a thing lately for her. Look no further than Francia Raisa ... and let's not forget the whole "mean girls" thing with Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner.

Selena tends to mostly mind her business/do her thing ... but every now and then, she's roped into a social media controversy. Whether she's the one initiating it ... debatable.

Carl Eiswerth -- who amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok -- died in a car accident ... TMZ has learned.

Carl's mom, Janet, tells us the social media star was killed Tuesday in Pennsylvania. Janet says Carl was driving with a close friend -- he was in the passenger's seat -- when they were struck by another vehicle in the middle of an intersection.

Carl grew his TikTok following to nearly 500,000 before his death. We're told his family is planning two memorial services, and may live stream the events so his fans can participate.

As for what will happen with his TikTok account, that's still up in the air ... Janet says they don't yet know if his family will take it over, or if there's any material to still be posted.

Carl's page was full of videos, mostly of himself, where he'd combine humor and wit to show his fans a day in the life as he navigated the world.

Carl was only 35.

The woman who claims a man pulled her wig off for no apparent reason in the streets of NYC has now gone to the police for help, filing a report in a bid for justice.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ an official complaint was filed Sunday with the NYPD by a local artist named Lizzy Ashliegh, who's Black. We're told the crime alleged is misdemeanor assault ... and that Ashliegh is claiming to have suffered a minor injury to her neck.

Our sources tell us Ashliegh declined medical attention when she filed the report -- although, she claimed on social media she's seen a doctor -- and that her report triggered an investigation. We're told Lizzy identified a man named Anthony Orlich -- a lawyer whose law firm has since said he is no longer employed with the firm following the alleged incident.

Ashliegh posted a video that she claims showed the aftermath of the alleged incident, which went viral. You see her repeatedly ask the man why he snatched her wig off, this as she holds the blue-green wig in her hands.

Other guys in the clip -- who are reported to have been friends of Orlich --  were also trying to get him to apologize for it ... to no avail. The internet was up in arms about it too -- especially because he's white and Ashliegh's Black.

Yung Gravy's recovering from taking a huge tumble while doing something sweet for his fans -- and the accident likely had the crowd singing his song, "Oops!!!"

Gravy was in Gulf Shores, Alabama performing Sunday at the packed Hangout Music Festival, and this video shows just how brutal the fall was while he was doing a little crowd work.

As you can see, the "Betty" rapper was walking a path, with fans on either side and handing out roses on his way back to the stage. The dude never saw the slightly raised plywood in his way, and let's just say ... Gravy was tripping, hard.

Keep in mind, he's like 6'6", so it's a long way down!

Gravy powered through, and after 2 security guards helped him up, he finished the show ... and we've learned he was playing hurt.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Gravy suffered a broken left elbow and a broken right wrist. He initially thought a couple Advil would be enough, but when he went to the ER on Monday, doctors discovered the fractures.

You'll recall ... earlier this year, Gravy told us he was excited about some projects he's cooking up in 2023, especially a supposed collab with rapper Quavo.

JoJo Siwa's swanky home was the subject of a terrifying break-in ... and those allegedly responsible are still on the loose as cops work to track them down.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... officers responded to a call around 2:40 AM Monday from an alarm company about the break-in at JoJo's San Fernando Valley home -- but by the time they arrived, the suspects had already taken off.

We're told cops found an open door at the property, which is believed to be what they used to get into JoJo's house.

The total value amount of what was taken is still unclear, as sources say no one was home at the time -- we're told investigators are still waiting to hear from JoJo on what's missing.

The dancer shared the scary incident with her fans Tuesday, claiming the alleged suspects were armed when they got in. Police didn't confirm with us if the suspects had weapons.

Two ice-cold lovebirds are currently getting dragged through the mud after bringing back an infamous and dangerous social media trend that left a bad taste in people's mouths.

Here's the deal -- content creator Tequan Hines recently uploaded a clip of himself and his boo, Asia, sticking their tongues deep in a carton of ice cream in a grocery store before putting it back and fleeing.

They've since taken the video down, but you know how the Internet works ... it's been recirculating online, including on Reddit, where folks are laying into the couple.

Angry commenters are all singing the same tune, more or less -- "A**holes like this should go to jail," and "Looks like they are also pretty proud of their act. F***ing idiots" ... were just a few expressing outrage.

One even wrote, "I'm so glad these people had the intelligence to film and upload themselves to the internet for the benefit of law enforcement."

If it rings a bell, that's because the same thing was going down in the summer of 2019 -- when people were seeking social media clout by licking ice cream out of containers and putting them back on the shelves.

Those looking for quick fame didn't get a happy ending at the time, BTW -- some got arrested and charged, like D’Adrien L’Quinn Anderson ... who pled guilty in 2020 to criminal mischief for licking some Blue Bell ice cream and was forced to do 30 days behind bars.

Elon Musk is making a push to land a Don Lemon show on Twitter, just as Tucker Carlson's started his own show on the platform -- and Elon's goal seems to be balancing right and left.

Elon made his pitch to Don Wednesday morning with a tweet inviting him to do a show on the bird app. He included a dig at CNN's ratings, saying, "Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger."

The move comes after Tucker's Tuesday video tweet, announcing he'd be launching a "new version" of his TV show on Twitter -- a move that was quickly welcomed by the platform's owner.

Elon boasted, "On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever [Tucker] or anyone may say."

He also made it clear he's not involved in Tucker's show or programming -- "We have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators."

Of course, Don and Tucker were fired from CNN and Fox News, respectively, on the same day last month. On the heels of Carlson's announcement, Elon said he wanted more content creators, "particularly from the left" to follow suit.

He clearly thinks Don should be one of them.

YouTube star Colleen Ballinger, best known for her Internet character Miranda Sings, is laughing all the way to the bank ... after selling her L.A. home for more than $3 mil!

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... the YouTuber/comedian unloaded her 5,000-square-foot Encino home for $3.4 million. The 5-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom pad sits on a 9,000-square-foot lot ... and it has a whole lot to offer.

The house has high ceilings, which is always awesome, and lots of natural light. It's not only got a kitchen, but a butler's pantry as well.

The primary suite has its own fireplace, outdoor terrace, walk-in closet and spa-like bath.

The backyard is cool ... a built-in BBQ center and a "cigar patio" with a fireplace. Of course, there's the obligatory pool.

Colleen listed the home back in January for $3.75 million after moving her and her fam to Santa Barbara.