Khaby Lame becomes the most followed TikTok star in the world with 142 million fans

TikTok has a new reigning champion. Khaby Lame, a 22-year-old Senegalese-born creator, became the most followed person on TikTok last night, overtaking American TikTok star Charli D'Amelio, who previously held the accolade. Blade now has over 142,7 million subscribers, compared to D'Amelio's 142,3 million.

Lame, who is based in Italy, is first became famous through his use of TikTok's duet and dot features, reacting wordlessly to convoluted and nonsensical "life hacks." He now mostly posts silent comedy sketches, racking up millions of views and likes. His following started to explode last year, and in recent weeks fans have launched efforts to push him to the top.

Lame's rise and D'Amelio's overthrow are significant. D'Amelio and his sister, Dixie, are two of TikTok's central figureheads, building a whole media brand on top of what they themselves admit was initially an accidental celebrity. Their meteoric rise to fame through seconds-long dance videos left people off TikTok puzzled – and inspired millions of followers to try to do the same. The sisters have earned around $27,5 million last year, according to estimates Forbes .