Khaby Lame Biography: Age, Relationship, Net Worth, Family, Height, Education, Most Followed Tiktok 2024

Khabane “Khaby” Lame, born on March 9, 2000, is an Italian social media influencer of Senegalese descent.

He gained popularity for his TikTok content, where he humorously parodies complex “life hack” videos without speaking.

In 2022, he was recognized in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 lists.

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Additionally, he participated as a judge on the 2023 season of Italia’s Got Talent.

Currently, as of 2024, he holds the title of the most-followed user on TikTok.

Early Life

Lame was born in Senegal on March 9, 2000. His family relocated to a public housing complex in Chivasso, close to Turin, Italy, when he was just one year old. He has three siblings.

Lame attended Italian schools until the age of 14, at which point his parents opted to send him temporarily to a Quranic school near Dakar.

Prior to being laid off in March 2020, Lame was employed as a CNC machine operator at a factory near Turin.

Career

Following his layoff during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lame took to TikTok to share his content.

Initially, his videos showcased his dancing skills and his love for video games.

However, it was his unique approach to responding to complex “life hacks” videos using TikTok’s “duet” and “stitch” features that propelled him to fame.

In these videos, he would effortlessly perform the task in a simple manner, accompanied by a signature hand gesture and without uttering a word.

By April 2021, Lame had surpassed Gianluca Vacchi to become the most-followed Italian on TikTok.

He then went on to surpass Addison Rae, securing the second most-followed position on the platform overall.

Lame’s popularity continued to soar as he appeared alongside Juventus F.C. in their announcement of Manuel Locatelli in August 2021.

In September 2021, he was invited as a special guest to the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of Xavier Giannoli’s French film, Lost Illusions.

Lame’s success extended into 2022 when he signed a multi-year partnership with Hugo Boss and featured in their #BeYourOwnBoss campaign.

He also received recognition by being listed in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 and Forbes’ 30 Under 30.

In March of that year, he was honored with the Premio la Moda Veste la Pace, an award presented by the African Fashion Gate organization at the European Parliament.

On June 22, 2022, Lame achieved a significant milestone by becoming TikTok’s most-followed creator, surpassing Charli D’Amelio with a staggering 142.1 million followers.

Alessandro Riggio, the social media manager who initially signed Lame when he had only 1,000 Instagram followers, revealed that the TikToker was earning up to $750,000 per post and was projected to make $10 million by the end of 2022.

Lame’s influence extended beyond social media as he served as a juror alongside Rithy Panh at the Cannes Festival in 2022, where he evaluated TikTok short films.

Since 2023, Lame has taken on the role of a judge on the television show Italia’s Got Talent.

Additionally, in August 2023, he became a cosmetic outfit in the popular video game Fortnite Battle Royale as part of the “Last Resort” Battle Pass.

Public Image

Taylor Lorenz and Jason Horowitz from The New York Times have credited Lame’s success to his “universal exasperated everyman quality” and characterized his journey to stardom as distinct from most TikTok influencers by being “completely organic”.

Samir Chaudry, the founder of The Publish Press, a newsletter dedicated to the creator economy, mentioned that Lame’s charm comes from his focus on “authenticity over production” and “not trying too hard”.

Christina Ferraz, the founder of American marketing agency Thirty6Five, commented, “His exasperation is relatable, and emotions are universal.” Lame attributes his fame to his comical facial expressions and his use of silence, which he describes as “a means to connect with as many people as possible”.

As of January 2024, 6 out of the 25 most-liked videos on TikTok belong to him.

Personal Life

Khaby Lame, a devout Muslim, shared news of his engagement to Wendy Thembelihle Juel in November 2023.

Having resided in Italy since he was a year old, Lame is proficient in Italian.

Formerly a Senegalese citizen living in Milan with his manager, he obtained Italian citizenship in Chivasso in August 2022, following an announcement by the Italian Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Carlo Sibilia.

Lame expressed his strong connection to Italy, stating that he has always felt Italian and does not require official documentation to affirm his identity.

Filmography

Bibliography