Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Celebrity Net Worth, TikTok
Harry Smailes
Khaby Lame has officially been crowned “The King of TikTok”, having just recently dethroned the long-standing ‘Queen’, Charli D’Amelio as the creator with the most followers on the platform.
Born in Senegal, Khaby Lame and his family moved to Italy when the star was just one and he has lived there ever since.
He worked as a machine operator in a factory outside Turin until he was laid off in March 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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During the initial lockdowns, Lame began producing TikTok content which entailed him dancing or playing video games. It wasn’t until he began using the “Duet” feature on TikTok that Lame’s content really took off.
His original reactions to viral “life hacks” (which were generally complicated) conveyed him as a genuine, uncommercialised person who wasn’t trying too hard to reach stardom on social media, rather he was just enjoying his time on the app.
Nonetheless, Lame has catapulted himself to the very pinnacle of the TikTok world, having amassed more than 142 million followers on the app.
Alongside being the most followed person on TikTok, Lame has over 78 million followers on Instagram, not bad for someone who is only 22.
His massive following has opened doors for the young man, who has already been a co-star for Juventus’ announcement of footballer Manuel Locatelli and been a guest at the Venice Film Festival.
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Achieving Lame’s success in such a short space of time not only provides numerous opportunities but also tends to bring significant financial benefits.
Fans now want to know exactly what monetary gains Lame has made from his stratospheric social media rise to fame.
Khaby Lame is worth $13 million (£10.6 million) in 2022, according to CA Knowledge.
The major contributors to Lame’s net worth are the revenue he receives from his videos and brand endorsements.
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Although TikTok’s creator algorithm notoriously pays very very little per 1,000 views, Lame’s whopping total of well over 2 billion views means he is certainly raking in money for each short video he puts out.
Considering his jaw-dropping followings on both TikTok and Instagram, brands will pay an arm and a leg for Lame to advertise them on his social media channels.
Most notably, Lame has struck a multi-year contract with Hugo Boss which is no-doubt very lucrative for the young star.
With his internet career only having taken-off in the past couple of years, Lame has made the vast majority of his wealth in 2021 and 2022.
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According to HITC, Lame made a staggering $6 million (£4.9 million) in 2021 and looks set to replicate, if not better, the feat in 2022.
This will largely be generated through brands using his platforms for advertising and basic video revenues from TikTok.