Khaby Lame is the most popular man on Tiktok. And he does not say a word. But on the social media platform, his silence speaks volumes.
From being a factory worker to the second-most followed content creator on arguably the fastest-growing social platform, Khaby Lame’s life has been nothing but exhilarating.
Khabane “Khaby” Lame is a Senegalese-born TikToker based in Italy. Khaby was born on 9th March 2000. He was raised in a Muslim family.
Khaby Lame credits his rise to worldwide stardom to short comedy skits where he sarcastically ridicules people who complicate simple tasks.
Khaby Lame’s Startling Rise to Fame
Lame lost his factory job because of the Covid-19 pandemic that affected jobs and businesses worldwide. He was working as a CNC operator in the factory. CNC is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills and 3D printers) using a computer.
According to the NY Times, he went back to his family’s modest apartment after losing the job, and despite the urging of his Senegalese father to apply for other jobs, he began spending hours each day posting videos to TikTok under the name Khaby Lame.
In another article, it is mentioned that he set up his TikTok account around March 2020 when Italy first went into lockdown, just to pass the time. He now has 114.2 million followers on Tiktok and 47.6 million on Instagram. His TikTok following is second only to Charli D’Amelio, an American social media personality and dancer, who has 125.3 million followers on the Chinese social media app.
Khaby has mastered the deadpan sense of humour, where he mocks people complicating stuff without saying a word. We come across nonverbal characters in movies all the time. People understand these comical characters without a problem, despite their lack of speech. The communication from these nonverbal characters transcends language, age, and culture. Khaby is probably the most-influencive of them who managed to extend his craft in a social media platform.
Khaby Lame’s video style
Just like any other user who stumbles across Tiktok for the first time, Khaby Lame initially uploaded videos of him dancing, watching games, or doing comedic stints. However, his big break came when he started to upload videos of him mocking life-hack videos that overcomplicate simple stuff.
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He now uploads such videos exclusively. In the videos, Khaby shakes his head as a reaction to the life-hack videos, almost acting the Internet initialism ‘SMH’: Shaking My Head. The user then uploads a clip of himself doing the same task in a much simpler way, and extends his arms with his palms facing upward, as if to say ‘Duh!’.
His facial expression on the clips are funny, and because he does not say a word, his funny videos have transcended across borders, making people laugh and love him. In addition to this, his videos are probably shared and loved by people because he conveys a comforting message that life does not have to be complicated, at a time when people use social media apps for escapism and connection.
Khaby Lame Followers
TikTok
Khaby Lame’s Username on TikTok: khaby.lame
Khaby Lame rose to stardom from TikTok. While writing this, Khaby Lame has 114.2 million followers on the app with over 1.7 billion total likes. Meanwhile, he only follows 61 other TikTok users.
His bio reads:
Se vuoi ridere sei nel posto giusto😎
If u wanna laugh u r in the right place😎
Khaby Lame’s Username on Instagram: khaby00
As of writing, Khaby has uploaded a total of 170 posts on Instagram. He has 47.6 million followers to date and only follows 882 Instagram users.
Khaby Lame is managed by Riggio Alessandro. His manager manages 185 other internet artists.
Khaby Lame’s Username on Twitter: @KhabyLame
While writing this, Khaby has 101K followers on Twitter. He only follows two people on the platform.
Is Khaby Lame Italian?
Although Khaby Lame has been living in Italy since he was a child, he is not Italian.
In a June 2021 interview with The New York Times, Lame said that he does not possess an Italian passport or citizenship though he has been living in Italy since he was an infant. Thus, Khaby only has a Senegalese citizenship and passport.
Khaby Lame Net Worth
Khaby became a millionaire in 2020. According to media reports, this 21-year-old social media star charges $50,000 for a single promotional video on TikTok and is estimated to make $200,000 per month. He has partnered with international companies, including Netflix, Barilla, and the Indian fantasy sports platform Dream11, and many other undisclosed partnerships under his hood.
Khaby is currently living with his agent in Milan. While it is clear that riches have come to him fast, Khaby admits that he is trying to live a frugal life. Khaby admitted his biggest purchase since he became famous is an iPhone 12 so he can shoot better videos. “I’m not buying anything crazy,” he said.
Khaby Lame also operates his own e-commerce website.
The website claims to simplify finding viral products. The first items seen on the website right now are a Galaxy Projector costing $34.90 and Tshirt with Khaby’s cartoon printed on it, which was Sold Out.
Khaby Lame Wife
Khaby Lame is engaged to Zaira Nucci from Sciacca. Thi was announced on his Instagram in October 2020.
They met on social media and then crossed paths by chance in Chivasso, in the city that adopted them both after being born elsewhere, until he officially asked her for a first date.
Khaby met Zaira in October last year, replying to one of his stories on Instagram. Initially the online conversation went off but shortly after the two met again in their city and she contacted Khaby again. At that point, however, it was Khaby who asked Zaira to go out, and the first date was at Mc Donald’s.
Khaby Lame Palestine: The Real Story
Numerous accounts across social media platforms claiming to be Khaby Lame have surfaced supporting Palestinians in the “occupied Jerusalem.”
*This is where we add photos of the fake accounts supporting the issue.*
The Backstory
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has waxed and waned for several decades. Britain took control of Palestine after the ruler of the area was defeated in World War I. The land was inhabited by a Jewish minority and Arab majority.
The international community assigned Britain the task of establishing a national home in Palestine for the Jews. Although Palestine was the ancestral home for the Jews, the Arabs also claimed the land.
In 1947, the UN voted for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem becoming an international city. The plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by the Arabs and never implemented.
Jerusalem was divided between Israeli forces in the West, and Jordanian forces in the East. Because there was never a peace agreement – with each side blaming the other – there were more wars and fighting in the following decades.
End of Backstory
The tweets and posts were then widely circulated, claiming to have come from Khaby Lame itself. This became such a big issue that Khaby himself had to step in and claim that these accounts were not his.
Thus, we can safely conclude that Khaby Lame has nothing to do with the recent happenings in Jerusalem, Israel, Palestine, or Gaza.
Khaby Lame Gif, Memes
Source: LC
