Photo: Getty Images
Senegal-born Khabane "Khaby" Lame is officially the most followed TikTokker in the world.
With 142.7 million followers as of Thursday (June 23), Khaby, 22, has dethroned TikTok superstar Charli D'Amelio,18, who has reigned as the most-followed for over two years.
The news comes as users across TikTok campaigned for the 22-year-old to surpass D'Amelio in followers using the hashtag #KhabyToNumberOne.
However, Khaby was already well on his way to beating out the 18-year-old dancer, whose popularity on the platform earned her family a Hulu reality show.
Last year, Khaby racked up 15 million followers between May 8 to May 23, according to Social Tracker metrics.
He's gone viral for testing out infamous life hacks that claim to make everyday tasks easier, but in reality, just complicate things that are naturally simple. The TikTok star's humor and relatability have garnered over 2.3 billion likes since he first joined the platform in March 2020.
During the early days of the pandemic, Khaby lost his job, but capitalized on the fast-growing platform and set up his TikTok account, which now has the most followers in the world.
Khaby's accomplishment marks a shift on the platform as Black creators have historically struggled to receive credit for the viral trends they start on TikTok.
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