Who is Khaby Lame: key facts about the most followed tiktoker in the world

In 2020, when everyone was cooped up at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, social media became a key source of entertainment. So it was when many content creators decided to get started on these platforms. And among that large batch was Khaby Lame, who, thanks to his unique style of comedy, characterized by his facial expression and ability to communicate ideas without uttering a word, achieved success on TikTok.

Who is Khaby Lame

Khabane Lame, better known under his nickname Khaby Lame, was born in Senegal on March 9, 2000, but when he was one year old he and his parents moved to Italy. Before his rise to fame on social media, Khaby worked in a car factory in Turín, but due to the pandemic he lost his job. His free time at home led him to post videos on TikTok and he quickly gained followers until he became one of the most popular content creators on the social network.

He currently has 163 million followers on TikTok, making it the account with the most followers worldwide on the platform. In addition, he has 81.3 million followers on Instagram, a larger number than Mark Zuckerberg, owner of Meta, who has 14.1 million. Also he has a youtube channel with more than 10 million subscribers.

• Top 10: most followed tiktokers worldwide

Since he has being growing so fast as the most followed tiktoker in the world, he has taken part on Hollywood films and TV Shows as “Khaby is Coming To America” where he shows his trips through the US. He even appeared at the MET Gala 2025.

However, the situation of the american country has affected Lame. In the midst of Trump’s anti-migration measures, Khaby Lame was deported in June 2025 as his Visa was expired.  Bo Loudon, an influencer pro-Tump took credit for reporting the situation of Lame. “I discovered he was an illegal who overstayed an invalid VISA, evaded taxes, and I personally took action to have him deported” said Loudon in his X profile. 

Later, Khaby Lame was detained in Las Vegas and he abandon the country. Although he has not published anything about what happened, he has been posting content on social mediafrom Brazil, which appears to have been the destination of choice.

What sets Khaby Lame apart from other creators?

Khaby Lame’s distinction lies in his facial expressiveness and funny reactions to common situations. In his videos, he often addresses viral trends and everyday situations in a sarcastic and comical manner. Much of his content consists of reactions to other users’ videos, where he uses exaggerated gestures and facial expressions to convey humor and social criticism.

@khaby.lame And be sure to recycle ! We have only one Earth ! #learnfromkhaby #comic ♬ suono originale – Khabane lame

In addition to his humorous style, Khaby Lame also uses his platform to convey positive and motivational messages. Through his content, he encourages his followers to value themselves, not to worry about the opinion of others and to find happiness in the small details of life.

Her unique style and positive message have contributed to her great popularity on social media. With his charisma and talent for comedy, Khaby Lame has managed to become an icon of social media culture. However, it does not end here, on numerous occasions Khaby Lame has expressed his desire to be an actor, to jump to the big screen and one day, win an Oscar. Maybe he has to wait a little more to win an Oscar, but he is doing well in the other part of his dream: he appeared in the last Bad Boys film, released in June 2024.

Hold on that’s me “¯\_(ツ)_/¯” I want to send out a big thank you to the @BadBoysMovie team for including me in the movie. Dreams do come true! See me in #BadBoys: Ride or Die with @willsmith and @martinlawrence in theaters everywhere. pic.twitter.com/mxmDF7RR2M

— Khaby lame (@KhabyLame) June 21, 2024

From no job to multiple collaborations

When he first started creating content, his parents insisted that he look for another job to replace the one he had just lost, but the young man decided to bet on his content creation project. By April 2021 he surpassed Gianluca Vacchi as the most followed in Italy and by June 22, 2022 he became the most followed creator on TikTok, surpassing Charli D’Amelio with 142.1 million followers.

In August 2021, Lame appeared as a co-star of the announcement of the arrival of player Manuel Locatelli to Juventus FC and on September 5 of the same year he was invited to the Venice Film Festival to attend the screening of the film Lost Illusions.

Several youtubers, including King Bach, have approached Khaby Lame about collaborating together, which has provided him with opportunities to earn money through TikTok’s creator fund and through partnerships with various brands, including Netflix or Pepsi. One such brand is Barilla, the Italian pasta maker. In 2021, he participated in the Xbox commercial about their new console. In January 2022, Lame signed a contract with Hugo Boss and participated in the #BeYourOwnBoss campaign.

@xbox Simple as that. The Xbox Series S is Simply Next Gen @Khabane lame #gaming #simplynextgen ♬ original sound – Xbox

How much money does Khaby Lame have

We do not have an exact figure for how much money Khaby Lame has, but according to information released by his manager, Alessandro Riggio, in an interview with Fortune, it is estimated that brands can pay up to $400,000 for a video of Lame. However, Riggio said the young content creator generates so much revenue that he is unsure of the exact amount in his bank account.

Lame’s representative claimed that the young man was paid $750,000 by a studio to make a promotional tiktok for one of his movies. In addition, the Hugo Boss brand, for which he is an ambassador, paid him $450,000 for his participation in the Milan Fashion Week show and for publications on TikTok.

Khaby Lame has used some of his money to set up an agency in association with his manager that supports other content creators, it is called Iron Corporation. Today 235 content creators are part of this agency along with their 28 managers. They are focused in socialmedia marketing, content creation and management.

He is conscious that this fame would not last forever, but as long as he can still doung what he likes and saving enough money “to line his closet with Air Jordans“, he is happy.