Khaby Lame is officially the new TikTok king after becoming the most-followed person on TikTok on Wednesday night.

The 22-year-old content creator, who was born in Senegal but is now based in Italy, overtook American TikTok star Charli D’Amelio, who held on to the title for years.

Lame, whose real name is Khabane Lame, now boasts of more than 142.7 million followers surpassing D’Amelio’s 142.3 million.

The content creator, who posts silent comedy skits that attract millions of views and likes, launched his TikTok career using its duet and stitch features and reacting wordlessly to crazy “life hacks.”


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However, he became a TikTok sensation and his follower base went ballistic in 2021his ardent fans launching relentless efforts to push him to the top of the TikTok kingdom.

D’Amelio and her sister Dixie are two of the key figures of TikTok who have built their whole media brand from the initial accidental stardom gained from the social media platform.

Charli D’Amelio. PHOTO/COURTESY

Their rise to the top through dancing videos lasting only seconds was meteoric and has seen them rake in an estimated $27.5 million in 2021 alone, based on estimates by Forbes.

Lame rising to the top of TikTok popularity is significant given users had in the past raised concerns over how black content creators were being treated by the Chinese platform.

Khaby Lame. PHOTO/COURTESY

In their reply to claims that their algorithm suppressed black creators, TikTok in 2020 pledged to take measures to remedy the situation including creating a diversity council.