Khaby Lame
Born 2000 · Age 25
Senegalese-born Italian social media influencer known for silent TikTok reaction videos that mock overcomplicated "life hacks." World's most-followed TikToker (as of 2025).
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Life & Career Timeline
Raised in Chivasso; childhood context noted
Grew up in public housing in Chivasso, near Turin; has three siblings and attended Italian schools until adolescence.
Born in Dakar, Senegal
Khabane Serigne Lame (Khaby Lame) born in Dakar, Senegal.
Family moved to Italy (Chivasso, near Turin)
Khaby's family moved from Senegal to Italy when he was one year old; they lived in a public housing complex in Chivasso.
Sent to study at a madrasa near Dakar
At age 14 his parents temporarily sent him to study at a madrasa near Dakar.
Working as a CNC machine operator
Worked as a CNC machine operator at a factory near Turin prior to the pandemic layoff.
Early videos and content style
Early posts included dancing and gaming; evolved to wordless duet/stitch reactions simplifying convoluted 'life hacks.'
Laid off from factory job (COVID-19)
Lost his CNC operator job during the early COVID-19 pandemic; this precipitated his focus on social media.
Began posting on TikTok
After being laid off, Khaby began posting on TikTok (initial content: dancing, gaming reactions, then life-hack responses).
Signed management (Alessandro Riggio) early in career
Reportedly signed by social-media manager Alessandro Riggio when Khaby had only ~1,000 Instagram followers (early-stage management onboarding).
Surpassed 1 million followers (approx.)
Reached roughly 1M followers on TikTok within about a year of beginning to post (March 2020 -> ~March 2021 reported growth).
Reached ~10 million followers (late April 2021)
Around 40 days before June 2, 2021 he reportedly hit 10M followers, a turning point he identified personally.
Surpassed Gianluca Vacchi as Italy's top TikToker
In April 2021 he overtook Gianluca Vacchi to become the most-followed Italian on TikTok (reports cite ~27M followers at/around this time).
Public appearance with Alessandro Del Piero
Appeared publicly with Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero (reported May 19, 2021) as his profile was rising.
65.6M followers reported (NYTimes profile)
New York Times profile reported Khaby had ~65.6 million followers and was among the fastest-growing creators.
Co-starred in Juventus announcement for Manuel Locatelli
Appeared as a co-star in Juventus FC's announcement of the signing of Manuel Locatelli (August 2021).
Venice Film Festival special guest
Attended Venice Film Festival as a special guest for the first screening of Lost Illusions (Xavier Giannoli).
Claimed ~113M followers (IMDb snapshot)
IMDb biography snapshot (Sept 23, 2021) reported over 113M followers and 1.7B likes; figure varies across sources (lower confidence).
Listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 (2022)
Named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for 2022 (Art & Culture / creators recognition).
Multi-year partnership with Hugo Boss
Signed a multi-year partnership with fashion brand Hugo Boss and featured in the #BeYourOwnBoss rebrand campaign.
Listed in Fortune's 40 Under 40 (2022)
Included in Fortune's 40 Under 40 list for 2022 recognizing influential young figures across industries.
Earnings reported: up to $750K per post; projected $10M by end-2022
Social-media manager and reporting indicated Khaby could earn up to $750,000 per sponsored post and was on track to make ~$10M by end of 2022.
Published book 'Il diario di Khaby'
Released Italian-language book Il diario di Khaby. C'è sempre il modo di non complicare le cose (Mondadori, 2022).
Awarded Premio la Moda Veste la Pace
Received the 'Premio la Moda Veste la Pace' from the African Fashion Gate at the European Parliament (2 March 2022).
Jury for Cannes Festival (TikTok short films)
Served as a juror at Cannes Festival (alongside Rithy Panh) judging TikTok short films (Cannes festival timeframe, May 2022).
Became world's most-followed TikToker (142.1M)
On 22 June 2022 Khaby surpassed Charli D'Amelio to become TikTok's most-followed creator with 142.1M followers.
Granted Italian citizenship
Officially granted Italian citizenship in Chivasso after public announcement by Undersecretary Carlo Sibilia (reported mid-August 2022).
Italian-dubbed voice cameo in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Provided a voice cameo in the Italian-dubbed version of the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022 release).
Won International category at 12th Streamy Awards
Awarded the Streamy Award in the International category (12th Streamy Awards, Dec 2022).
Joined 'Italia's Got Talent' as juror
Became a judge on the television show Italia's Got Talent (2023 edition), expanding his TV role portfolio.
Added as Fortnite cosmetic outfit
Khaby's likeness was added as a cosmetic outfit in Fortnite Battle Royale as part of the 'Last Resort' Battle Pass in August 2023.
Streamy Awards nomination (2023)
Nominated again in the Streamy Awards (2023); continued recognition in creator awards circuits.
Marriage announced (Wendy Thembelihle Juel)
Public announcement in November 2023 that Khaby had married Wendy Thembelihle Juel.
Brief cameo in 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' (2024)
Made a brief, non-speaking cameo appearance in the 2024 action-comedy film Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Marriage reported ended
By May 2024 it was publicly reported that Khaby's marriage to Wendy Thembelihle Juel had ended.
Premiere of 'Khaby Is Coming to America' (Tubi)
Unscripted comedy series 'Khaby Is Coming to America' premiered on Tubi (28 June 2024).
Six of the 25 most-liked TikTok videos are his
As of January 2025, six of TikTok's 25 most-liked videos belonged to Khaby Lame, highlighting ongoing platform dominance.
Entered U.S. on visa (reported)
Reported entry to the United States on 30 April 2025 (later publications cite visa overstay).
Detained by ICE in Las Vegas; accepted self-deportation
Detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on 6 June 2025 for reportedly overstaying a visa; he accepted self-deportation and left the U.S. the same day.
Named to inaugural TIME100 Creators list
In July 2025 Khaby was named to TIME's inaugural TIME100 Creators list recognizing influential digital creators worldwide.
Social metrics snapshot (TikTok, YouTube) — infobox update
Wikipedia infobox updated 5 July 2025: TikTok followers 162M and likes 2.5B; YouTube channel 'Khaby. Lame' subscribers 12.5M, views 4.5B (YouTube years active 2022–present).
Key Achievement Ages
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