Khaby Lame: The Story Of The Most Popular TikTok Influencer

Picture this: a young man breaks into a hidden vault, loaded with loot, after eluding armed guards in a modern mansion. Sounds like a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster, right?

But here's the plot twist: the man in question is Khaby Lame, an Italian influencer who rose to fame on TikTok.

Image source Tech on Google

In just three years, Khaby Lame has gained more than 160 million fans and has become the most popular Tiktoker in the world—without speaking a single word. Brands are clamouring to pay this quiet comedian a fortune for a piece of his social media magic.

Two years ago, Lame was assembling car filters in a factory outside Turin. Today, he's the most-followed person on TikTok, with a whopping 162 million followers. His two-minute-long videos of him spoofing famous memes and mocking elaborate Internet stunts have amassed 2.4 billion likes. And he's achieved all this without uttering a single word, relying on animated shrugs and expressive eyes to communicate with his global audience.

Lame's fame has landed him lucrative brand deals with the likes of State Farm, Binance, and Hugo Boss. His collaborations with these brands, along with his Fortnite partnership, have helped him gross an estimated $16.5 million since June 2022. Today, companies pay him a whopping $750,000 to feature their products in his TikTok and Instagram posts.

But it's not just Lame who's raking in the big bucks. The influencer economy is on fire, with brands expected to spend a staggering $21 billion on creators this year alone. Influencers are leveraging their massive followings to launch their businesses, with some even branching out into Hollywood. Jimmy "MrBeast', Donaldson, who holds the top spot on Forbes' Top Creators list for the second year running, has used his massive YouTube channel to launch Feastables, a snack bar company, and Beast Burger, a fast-food chain.

Addison Rae and Bella Thorne have gone from lip-syncing on TikTok to signing major record deals. In the meantime, Lame is hoping his success in Fortnite will open doors to Hollywood. His documentary short, I Am Khabane, premiered at Italy's Taormina Film Festival in June, marking his directorial debut. "I love writing stories and films," he says. "I want to be an actor—and direct too."

From earning millions to launching businesses and making a name for themselves in Hollywood, influencers are proving that the sky's the limit when it comes to their earning potential and career opportunities.