Meet Amos Yee’s Parents: Mary Toh and Alphonsus Yee

Amos Yee Pang Sang, born on October 31, 1998, in Singapore, is a former blogger, YouTuber, and child actor whose provocative online content and legal controversies have made him a highly polarizing figure.

Of Chinese ethnicity, Amos was raised in a Catholic household by his parents, Mary Toh, a mathematics teacher, and Alphonsus Yee, a computer engineer.

During his early education at Pei Chun Public School, Amos excelled academically, achieving top grades in Mathematics and Science (A*) and strong marks in English and Chinese (A). He later attended Zhonghua Secondary School but ultimately dropped out, signaling the beginning of his contentious path as a vocal critic of politics, religion, and societal norms.

He gained widespread notoriety in 2015 after releasing a video criticizing Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew—a move that triggered intense public and legal backlash.

His parents, Mary and Alphonsus, have remained largely private figures throughout Amos‘ public unraveling, yet they’ve had to grapple with the difficult task of supporting a son whose actions and beliefs often placed him in direct conflict with the law and social expectations.

While Mary and Alphonsus nurtured his early academic success and encouraged intellectual development, Amos’ growing defiance of authority became a significant source of tension. Raised in a devout Catholic environment, Amos once served as an altar boy before distancing himself from the faith and identifying as an atheist—a shift that would come to define much of his public identity.

Though details about Amos’ siblings—a younger brother and sister—are scarce, it is known that his increasingly controversial actions upended the family’s quiet domestic life. Mary Toh, in particular, has publicly defended her son on several occasions, balancing maternal concern with the realities of his divisive behavior.

Mary Toh

Mary Toh, the more publicly visible of Amos Yee’s parents, has often taken center stage during her son’s turbulent legal and personal controversies.

A mathematics teacher known for her “twinkly-eyed” appearance and attentive nature, Mary has been described as curious and intellectually engaged—traits that may have influenced Amos’ critical and questioning mindset. Despite her dedication to his upbringing and education, Mary has openly acknowledged the immense difficulty of parenting a child as defiant as Amos, once describing his behavior as “beyond control” in a 2015 interview with The Straits Times.

Her commitment to Amos was evident during his widely publicized legal troubles in 2015, when he was arrested for creating online content deemed offensive to religious communities and obscene. Notably, it was Mary who initially filed a police report—not to prosecute her son, but out of concern for his well-being after he shared a graphic image online.

In an interview with The Online Citizen, she later clarified that her intention was to seek professional help for Amos, not legal action. In the wake of the backlash, Mary issued a heartfelt apology to the nation, walking a fine line between being a concerned parent and a responsible citizen.

Despite Amos’ often harsh words—even stating in a 2018 Facebook post that he didn’t love his mother but rated their relationship a “6.5-7 out of 10”—Mary remained unwavering in her support.

She responded with emotional maturity, stating, “I don’t think parents can or should raise their child to be exactly the way that they want.” She even backed Amos’ controversial decision to seek political asylum in the United States in 2016, expressing relief that his case brought attention to Singapore’s strict free speech laws.

In a 2017 Facebook post, she wrote, “I encouraged him to leave Singapore,” affirming her belief that her son shouldn’t be imprisoned for his opinions, however provocative.

Alphonsus Yee

Unlike his wife Mary, who often took a public stance during their son Amos Yee’s controversies, Alphonsus Yee has maintained a quiet, reserved presence. Described as a “burly man who rides a motorcycle,” Alphonsus is known for his stoic demeanor—often seen standing silently with arms crossed during rare public appearances.

A computer engineer by profession, little is known about his career or personal views, as he has largely avoided media interactions and declined to comment during critical moments, including outside the courthouse during Amos’ 2015 trial.

Alphonsus’ relationship with Amos appears to have been distant and, at times, strained. As Amos’ legal troubles mounted, reports emerged alleging physical confrontations between the two.

Alphonsus, however, has denied such claims, consistently attempting to frame his son in a more positive light. In a 2015 interview cited by Yahoo News, he described Amos as “intelligent” but lacking in wisdom—a comment that revealed both his pride in Amos’ intellect and his deep frustration with the direction his son’s life had taken.