Internet comedian Khabane “Khaby” Lame has surpassed Charli D’Amelio as the most-followed TikTok star as of Wednesday when his account passed 142.8 million followers on the popular video-sharing app.
D’Amelio had been the most-followed account for months and has the distinction of being the first TikTok account in the app’s history to reach both 50 million and 100 million followers. Charli and her sister Dixie starred in the Hulu reality series The D’Amelio Show last year.
Lame, who is from Italy, began posting TikTok videos to the account “Khaby.Lame” after he lost his job as a machine operator in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. His videos show Lame reacting in deadpan silence to bizarre influencer videos he finds online.
In an interview with Forbes, Lame said, “I would describe myself as a simple person, but full of ideas and inspiration.” He also spoke about his research process by mentioning “every day, I spend at least three hours looking for the right video to parody.”
The TikToker also said he is currently learning English and plans to move to Hollywood soon. He also told reporters last year that the fame doesn’t concern him. “I don’t care if I’m first or second or fourth most popular on TikTok. I started making videos because I wanted to make people laugh in that period of lockdown. And I keep making videos with the same ideals.”
