Bay was an official who served both Siptah and Queen-Pharaoh Twosre. He was also known as Irsu and is supposedly of Syrian descent. This probably irritated many Egyptian aristocrats of his era. He began his usurpation of power when Twosre was regent for Siptah. Bay was Twosre's confidant as well as her chancellor during her rule. His name was mentioned in Siptah's mortuary texts, but was not praised by his contemporaries. He was generally known as an interloper and usurper during the falling of pharaonic power.