Khaby Lame becomes TikTok’s most-followed person

Khabane “Khaby” Lame now has the most TikTok followers, topping 143 million at the time of writing.

Charli D’Amelio, who had held the record since March 2020, was surpassed by the 22-year-old silent comic.

Khaby’s parodies of so-called “lifehacks” have amassed millions of views and catapulted him to becoming an international celebrity.

Khaby was compelled to return to his parent’s house in Turin, Italy, after losing his job as a factory worker during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With national lockdowns in force, Khaby launched his TikTok account to pass the time while cooped up inside.

His early videos had him dancing, playing video games, and using the app’s numerous filters, but he didn’t get many views.

When one of Khaby’s videos became viral in November 2020, everything changed.

Khaby secretly revealed a simpler solution to the problem in response to another user’s overly detailed lifehack video. Khaby had discovered a successful recipe with his now-iconic hand movements and disapproving glare.

Charli D’Amelio continues to have the most TikTok followers (female). She also has Guinness World Records for being the first person to reach 50 million TikTok followers and the first person to reach 100 million TikTok followers.

Lame’s rise and deposition of D’Amelio is remarkable. D’Amelio and her sister, Dixie, are two of TikTok’s core figures, having built a complete media brand on what they admit was first accidental stardom. Their quick climb to stardom via seconds-long dance videos has baffled those who aren’t on TikTok — and motivated millions of followers to try the same. According to Forbes, the sisters earned an estimated $27.5 million last year.