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Khaby Lame

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Khabane "Khaby" Lame
Lame in 2022
Born
Khabane Lame

(2000-03-09)9 March 2000(age 24)
Senegal
NationalitySenegalese, Italian[1]
OccupationSocial media personality
TikTok information
Page
Followers162.7 million
Likes2.4 billion
Last updated:10 July 2024

Khabane"Khaby"Lame(French:[kabilamei],Italian:[ˈkaːbiˈlamei];born 9 March 2000) is a Senegalese-Italiansocial media personality.He is known for hisTikTokvideos, in which he silently mocks overly complicated "life hack"videos. In 2022, he was listed inFortune's40 Under 40andForbes'30 Under 30.He also served as a juror on the 2023 edition of the television showItalia's Got Talent.As of 2024, he is themost-followed user on TikTok.[2]

Early life

Lame was born inSenegalon 9 March 2000.[3]His family moved to apublic housingcomplex inChivasso,near Turin, in Italy, when he was one year old.[4]He has three siblings. He studied in Italian schools until he was 14, when his parents decided to temporarily send him to study at aQuranicschool nearDakar.[5]Lame worked as aCNC machineoperator at a factory nearTurin,before getting laid off in March 2020.[6][7][8]

Career

Lame performing his signature hand gesture while dressed as a mail carrier

After he was laid off during theCOVID-19 pandemic,Lame began posting onTikTok.[6]His early videos showed him dancing and watching video games.[8]He rose to popularity with his video responses in the form of TikTok's "duet" and "stitch" features to videos depicting complicated "life hacks", in which he performs the same task in a simple way, without saying anything, followed by a signature hand gesture.[7]In April 2021, he surpassed Gianluca Vacchi as the most-followed Italian on TikTok, and he subsequently surpassedAddison Rae,to become the second most-followed personality on the platform overall.[9][10]In August 2021, Lame appeared as a co-star forJuventus FC's announcement ofManuel Locatelli.[11][12]In September 2021, he attended theVenice Film Festivalas a special guest for the first screening of the French filmLost Illusions,byXavier Giannoli.[13]In January 2022, Lame signed a multi-year partnership withHugo Bossand was featured in the #BeYourOwnBoss campaign.[14][15]

In 2022, he was listed inFortune's40 Under 40[16]andForbes'30 Under 30.[17]

In March of that year, he was awarded the Premio la Moda Veste la Pace, a recognition that the African Fashion Gate organization awards every year at theEuropean Parliament.[18]

On 22 June 2022, Lame became TikTok's most-followed creator, surpassingCharli D'Amelio,with 142.1 million followers.[19][20]

According to Alessandro Riggio, the social media manager who signed Lame when he had only 1,000 Instagram followers, the TikToker was earning up to $750,000 per post and was on track to make $10 million by the end of 2022.[21][22][23]

Lame was a juror for theCannes FestivalalongsideRithy Panhin 2022, where he judged TikTok short films.[24]

Since 2023, Lame has served as a judge on the television showItalia's Got Talent.[25][26]

In August 2023, Lame was added as acosmetic outfitin the 2017 video gameFortnite Battle Royale,as part of the "Last Resort"Battle Pass.[27]

Public image

Taylor Lorenzand Jason Horowitz ofThe New York Timeshave attributed Lame's success to his "universal exasperatedeverymanquality "and described his rise to fame as different from most TikTok stars in being" entirely organic ". Samir Chaudry, founder ofThe Publish Press,a newsletter focused on thecreator economy,stated that Lame's appeal derived from his emphasizing "authenticity over production" and "not trying too hard".[7]Christina Ferraz, founder of American marketing agency Thirty6Five, stated, "His exasperation is relatable, and feelings are universal." Lame has credited his popularity to his humorous facial expressions and his silence, which he has described as "a way to reach as many people as possible".[28]As of January 2024, six of the 25 most-liked videos on TikTok are his.[29]

Personal life

Khaby Lame is a practicingMuslim.[30][31]

He announced his engagement to wife Wendy Thembelihle Juel in November 2023.[32]By May 2024, his marriage with Juel had ended.[33]

Lame has lived in Italy since he was a year old, and he is fluent in Italian. He was aSenegalese citizenliving inMilanwith his manager until August 2022, when he became anItalian citizenin Chivasso, after the Italian Undersecretary of theMinistry of the InteriorCarlo Sibiliaannounced that he would be granted citizenship.[8][34][35]Lame said he "always felt Italian"[36]and has previously stated that he "did not need a piece of paper" to define himself as such.[7]

Filmography

Lame has a voice cameo in the Italian-dubbed version ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever(2022).[37]He also makes a brief, non-speaking cameo appearance in the 2024 action comedy filmBad Boys: Ride or Die.[38]

Bibliography

  • Il diario di Khaby. C'è sempre il modo di non complicare le cose[Khaby's Diary: There's Always a Way Not to Complicate Things] (in Italian). Segrate:Mondadori.2022.ISBN978-88-0475-024-6.

See also

References

  1. ^"TikTok star Khaby Lame granted Italian citizenship after moving to country from Senegal as an infant".independent.co.uk.21 August 2022.Retrieved29 May2024.
  2. ^Bertoni, Steven (26 September 2023)."How Top Creator Khaby Lame Became TikTok's Most Popular Influencer".Forbes.Retrieved9 January2024.
  3. ^Vivarelli, Nick (1 March 2023)."Khaby Lame, World's Most-Followed TikTok Creator, Joins 'Italia's Got Talent' as Juror".Variety.Retrieved9 January2024.
  4. ^Pasqui, Giulio (13 May 2021)."Khaby Lame, ecco chi è l'italiano che ha più follower di Mark Zuckerberg ed è diventato una star dei social senza mai dire una parola".il Fatto Quotidiano(in Italian).Archivedfrom the original on 13 May 2021.Retrieved14 May2021.
  5. ^"Khaby Lame è il più seguito al mondo su TikTok: 'A scuola facevo casino'".Skuola.net – Portale per Studenti: Materiali, Appunti e Notizie(in Italian).Retrieved28 June2022.
  6. ^abVinci, Alessandro (23 April 2021)."Khaby Lame è l'italiano più seguito su TikTok: dalle case popolari al sorpasso su Gianluca Vacchi".Corriere.it(in Italian).Retrieved14 May2021.
  7. ^abcdHorowitz, Jason;Lorenz, Taylor(2 June 2021)."Khaby Lame, the Everyman of the Internet".The New York Times.Retrieved19 June2021.
  8. ^abcKarimi, Faith; Mezzofiore, Gianluca (2 October 2021)."He's the most popular man on TikTok. And he doesn't say a word".CNN.Retrieved9 October2021.
  9. ^Waite, Thom (16 July 2021)."Khaby Lame is set to overtake Charli D'Amelio as TikTok's biggest star".Dazed.Dazed Media.Retrieved8 October2021.
  10. ^Web, Redazione (26 April 2021)."Khaby Lame supera Gianluca Vacchi: con 27M follower è il più seguito in Italia su tiktok".Radio DeeJay(in Italian).Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2021.Retrieved15 May2021.
  11. ^Beltrami, Marco (18 August 2021)."La Juventus ufficializza Locatelli con Khaby Lame: svelate tutte le cifre dell'affare".Fanpage(in Italian).Retrieved18 August2021.
  12. ^Bo, Marco (20 June 2021)."Khaby Lame, Dybala e Del Piero: anche il re dei social tifa Juve".Tuttosport(in Italian). Nuova Editoriale Sportiva.Retrieved18 August2021.
  13. ^americanpost (11 September 2021)."TikTok star Khaby Lame walked the Venice red carpet".American Post.Retrieved11 September2021.
  14. ^Gardner, Chris (26 January 2022)."Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Lee Min-ho and TikTok Star Khaby Lame Star in BOSS Rebrand Campaign".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved7 May2022.
  15. ^Leitch, Luke (11 February 2022)."TikToker Khaby Lame and the big Boss rebrand in the Dubai desert".Vogue Business.Retrieved7 May2022.
  16. ^"40 Under 40 | Khaby Lame".Fortune.2022.Retrieved18 September2023.
  17. ^"Forbes 30 Under 30 2022: Art & Culture".Forbes.2022.Retrieved18 September2023.
  18. ^"Premio La Moda veste la Pace al tiktoker Khaby Lame - Moda".Agenzia ANSA(in Italian). 2 March 2022.Retrieved11 March2022.
  19. ^Karimi, Faith (23 June 2022)."This wordless comedian is now the most-followed person on TikTok".CNN.Retrieved24 June2022.
  20. ^Sato, Mia (23 June 2022)."Khaby Lame is now the most-followed TikToker in the world".The Verge.Retrieved24 June2022.
  21. ^Toresson, Gustaf Lundberg (27 June 2022)."Alessandro Riggio on How to Manage and Grow the World's Biggest Social Media Personalities".Forbes.Retrieved7 November2023.
  22. ^Horowitz, Jason; Lorenz, Taylor (2 June 2021)."Khaby Lame, the Everyman of the Internet".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved7 November2023.
  23. ^Sternlicht, Alexandra (14 September 2022)."The world's most followed TikToker gets paid as much as $750K per post, but to reach his greatest business goal Khaby Lame is binge-watching American cartoons".Fortune.Retrieved7 November2023.
  24. ^Keegan, Rebecca (21 May 2022)."Cannes Diary: The Content Creators Have Conquered the Croisette".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved18 September2023.
  25. ^Vivarelli, Nick (1 March 2023)."Khaby Lame, World's Most-Followed TikTok Creator, Joins 'Italia's Got Talent' as Juror".Variety.Retrieved18 September2023.
  26. ^"Khaby Lame, world's most-followed TikTok creator, joins 'Italia's Got Talent' as juror".NBC News.2 March 2023.Retrieved4 March2023.
  27. ^Sabarwal, Rishabh (23 August 2023)."TikTok star Khaby Lame Fortnite skin teased for new crossover".Dexerto.Retrieved24 August2023.
  28. ^Onukwue, Alexander (17 August 2021)."Senegal-born Khaby Lame is Europe's first TikTok megastar".Quartz Africa.Retrieved9 October2021.
  29. ^Tapia, Amancay (8 October 2021)."The 17 most liked TikTok videos (all in one place)".Newsweek.Dev Pragad.Retrieved9 October2021.
  30. ^Hazari, Usama (6 October 2021)."Famous TikToker Khaby Lame reveals that he is a 'practicing Muslim'".The Siasat Daily.Siasat Press.Retrieved6 October2021.
  31. ^"Most-followed TikToker in the world".globalvillagespace.6 July 2022.Retrieved7 July2022.
  32. ^Angeleri, Francesca (9 February 2024)."Khaby Lame:" I come from public housing, there you feel abandoned. A friend of mine was found dead in the river "".Corriere Della Sera(in Italian).Retrieved9 February2024.
  33. ^"Khaby Lame and Wendy Thembelihle Juel's Marriage Ends".10 May 2024.Retrieved14 May2024.
  34. ^"World's most followed TikToker to get Italy citizenship".Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata.24 June 2022.Retrieved24 June2022.
  35. ^Atkinson, Emily (21 August 2022)."TikTok star Khaby Lame granted Italian citizenship after moving there as an infant".The Independent.Retrieved22 August2022.
  36. ^Giuffrida, Angela (17 August 2022)."Khaby Lame, TikTok's most followed star, granted Italian citizenship".The Guardian.Retrieved19 August2022.
  37. ^Brancher, Davide (5 November 2022)."Black Panther Wakanda Forever avrà un cameo di Khaby Lame".Vigamus magazine(in Italian).
  38. ^"All the cameos in" Bad Boys: Ride or Die ", from Michael Bay to DJ Khaled".nz.news.yahoo.9 June 2024.Retrieved21 June2024.
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