Khaby Lame Reveals How Much He Makes As The Most Followed TikToker

BYGabriel Bras Nevares18.5K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Khaby Lame
With over 149.5 million followers, the TikTok star is making millions more in brand deals.

It's been a big year for TikTok sensation Khaby Lame, who just recently passed Charli D'Amelio as the most followed person on the platform. His viral clips, best known for their wordless comedy, are endeared by millions and have resulted in big partnerships with the likes of Snoop Dogg and other Internet powerhouses. In a recent profile with Fortune, the 22-year-old detailed just how much cash a TikTok can get him.

Lame earned $450,000 for his partnership with Hugo Boss, walking for its Milan Fashion Week show and making an accompanying post. Fortune also broke down a $750,000 contract with a major Hollywood studio for a single video. With these deals and more vitality, Khaby Lame is expected to make $10 million this year.

That's the kind of money that 2.4 billion likes on TikTok can get you, but it's clear that Lame wants to venture outside the platform as well. He spoke in the Fortune profile about his dedication to learning English and said he spends an hour with a tutor every day in addition to watching U.S. cartoons and movies. Given that he's expressed a strong desire to work with Will Smith, he's manifesting his acting aspirations on all fronts.

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Lame's manager said that "he started to dream about being an actor after watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air... His goal is to be in a movie, hopefully, one day with [Will]."

The Senegalese-born celebrity immigrated to Italy with his parents and three siblings in 2001. After losing his job as a factory machine worker due to the pandemic in 2020, he joined TikTok began to grow his brand. He officially became a citizen of Italy last month.

“I am very proud,” he said after the milestone. “I felt Italian even before today, because I’ve always lived here. I feel a great sense of responsibility for the oath I took. These are not just words.”

Khaby Lame's made a fortune with very few words, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him on the silver screen soon.


About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
...