Uninitiated social media watchers are about to become well-acquainted with a towering new name on TikTok: the Senegalese-Italian phenom Khaby Lame, who last week surpassed Addison Rae to become the platform’s second most-followed creator.
And, Insider reports, Lame — who has risen to renown for his comedic reactions and sketches — is also on track to best longtime leader Charli D’Amelio as the most-followed creator on all of TikTok. Lame could achieve that feat by mid-August.
Per Social Blade, D’Amelio counts 120 million followers, but has gained just 2.6 million over the past 30 days, whereas Lame counts 89.6 million followers but has amassed a stunning 21.9 million over the past 30 days — meaning his rate of growth is currently eight times faster than D’Amelio’s. Rae, for her part, counts 81.9 million followers and has gained 990,000 new followers within the past 30 days, according to Social Blade.
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The New York Times, who interviewed Lame last June, reports that the 21-year-old lost his factory job in northern Italy due to the pandemic, whereupon he started TikToking last March. “It’s my face and my facial expressions that make people laugh,” he told the outlet, likening his expressions to a “global language.”
The Times reports that Lame is currently monetizing via the TikTok Creator Fund and through brand deals, including alongside the Italian pasta purveyor Barilla.
In addition to TikTok, Lame also counts 29 million Instagram followers and a nascent YouTube channel with zero subscribers and videos.
