TikTok videos go viral and reach millions of users on a daily basis, but who has the biggest following?
In recent years, TikTok has become one of the biggest social media platforms in the world, with over 1 billion users.
The video-sharing platform’s popularity has skyrocketed largely due to its tailored ‘for you’ page that’s filled with endless videos accompanied by catchy, viral music.
On the app, users can watch anything from short comedy sketches, to trending dance routines, recipes, and social activism.
It has established itself as a perfect place for videos to go viral, reaching millions of users, and can make a superstar out of anyone overnight.
But who has the most followers on the app? Here’s everything you need to know.
Tim P Whitby / Getty Images for Wiba Academy LLP
Khaby Lame is the most-followed person on TikTok, with a whopping 156 million followers.
Lame, 22, who goes by the username @khaby.lame, surpassed creator Charli D’Amelio’s follower count last year to reach the top spot.
The Senegalese-born social-media influencer, who lives in Italy and worked in a factory before losing his job due to the pandemic, quickly built up a following on the app, gaining popularity with videos that saw him giving wordless yet amusing responses to overly complicated ‘life-hack’ videos.
D’Amelio had been the most-followed person on the app since March 25, 2020, before Lame overtook her.
Most of Lame’s videos rack up views in the millions, with his most popular offering achieving more than 300 million.
In the biography for his account, Lame informs his followers that, if they want to have a laugh, they are “in the right place”.
After losing his job, Lame took to TikTok as an outlet for his boredom, where he soon became a huge success.
Speaking to HypeBeast, Lame said: “I made videos on YouTube as a child, but only my father and uncle watched them. And it was with TikTok that I realised that I had found the ideal platform for me to upload my self-deprecating and comic videos.
“I like to entertain people with my irony, but it’s just a tool to do what I’m really interested in — encouraging those who follow me to fight to achieve their goals.”
What is Khaby Lame’s net worth?
The star’s popularity on the app has also translated to monetary gain, as Celebrity Net Worth estimates that the influencer has a net worth of $15m (£12m).
What are the top 10 most-followed TikTok accounts?
1. Khaby Lame — 156 million followers
One of Lame’s most popular video formats appears to mock the TikTok “life hacks” genre, where users claim to offer advice on finding easier ways to do tasks.
Anyone even remotely familiar with TikTok will have come across Charli D’Amelio.
The 18-year-old American social media sensation started posting TikTok viral dancing videos when she was 15, and has since taken over the internet as one of the most popular teenagers in the world.
In addition to choreography — most notably the one to the song Renegade — D’Amelio was also one of the first TikTokers to feature in a Super Bowl commercial, and has also starred in the Hulu docuseries, The D’Amelio Show.
She was a contestant on season 31 of US show Dancing With The Stars last year, winning the competition in November.
3. Bella Poarch — 92 million followers
@bellapoarchTo the 🐝 🐝 🐝 #fyp
Ex-army veteran turned lip-sync star Bella Poarch skyrocketed to fame in August 2020, when she unwittingly created the most-liked TikTok of all time.
The 26-year-old posted a video lip-syncing and bobbing her head to a line from Millie B’s M to the B (Soph Aspin Send), which went on to accumulate more than 61 million likes.
Poarch then built up her following taking part in trends and posting lip-sync videos on the app.
In May 2021, she released her debut single, Build a B*tch, and released her first EP, Dolls, the following year.
4. Addison Rae — 88 million followers
@addisonre
Addison Rae first joined TikTok in 2019, uploading dance videos to trending songs on the platform. She gained more than one million followers on the app in just a month.
She was an early member of the Hype House, a collective of influencers who lived and made content together, initially including Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, among others.
In August 2020, she was ranked as the highest-earning TikTok personality by Forbes, and the following year she made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for social media influencers.
In 2021, she released her debut single Obsessed, and made her acting debut in the Netflix original film He’s All That, a gender-swapped remake of the 1999 film She’s All That.
5. MrBeast — 80 million followers
@mrbeastLemon-Ups >>> Thin Mints 😤 Ratio
American YouTube personality, YouTuber, and philanthropist Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast online, is a veteran internet sensation.
Best known for his YouTube channel, which recently became only the second channel ever to hit 100 million subscribers, he is known for his attention-grabbing stunts, as well as giving away money or committing acts of kindness and filming it for content.
The 24-year-old first joined YouTube when he was just 13. He went viral in 2017, after his “counting to 100,000” video earned tens of thousands of views in just a few days, and he has become increasingly popular ever since, with most of his videos gaining tens of millions of views.
6. Zach King — 75 million followers
@zachking#watercupprank
First finding fame a decade ago on the now-defunct video-sharing app Vine, 33-year-old Zach King formerly created videos and worked out of his garage.
He is most known for his “magic vines”, which are six-second videos digitally edited to look as if he is doing magic.
The 25-year-old Mexican singer started vlogging on YouTube with her first video in November 2016.
Kimberley Loaiza initially uploaded make-up videos, hair tutorials, and trivia, as well as vlogs and challenges.
In 2019, Loaiza began a career in music and released her first single, Enamorarme. She posts dance videos, trends, and behind-the-scenes content to her 74 million TikTok followers.
8. Will Smith — 73 million followers
@willsmith#duet with @missmoneyworking
Perhaps an unlikely entrant into the most followed TikTokers, Oscar-award-winning actor Will Smith has accrued a whopping 73 million followers on the app.
Smith posts a variety of content, from visual-effects edits to food-preparation videos and workouts.
9. Cznburak — 70 million followers
@cznburakCzn Burak Dubai❤️
In February 2023, Smith shared a video on TikTok in which he appears to poke fun at the infamous Chris Rock Oscars slap.
Burak Özdemir, better known as Cznburak on the app, is a Turkish chef and restaurateur famous for his often outlandish TikTok cooking videos.
Burak’s preparation and presentation of Turkish recipes, while almost always smiling to the camera, have made Özdemir an Internet celebrity online.
10. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — 70 million followers
@therockGive it a shot 👇🏾 Training: chest back super pump 💪🏾 * all supersets the entire workout * 4 sets per station – 2 exercises per station * 20 reps per exercise * 5 second hold/stretch on the 20th rep 🚨 4 stations / 8 exercises total🚨 ⏲️ 60-75 seconds rest periods 🏋🏾♀️ I keep the weight moderate, not heavy. Volume & blood. Have a productive week and get after it. #ironparadise 82 degrees 😅💪🏾
Actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson is certainly no stranger to a viral TikTok moment.
In 2021, audio of Johnson making his rap debut on Tech N9ne’s song Face Off became a viral sound on TikTok, used by creators to make memes about fitness and determination.
The actor also shares clips of his workout routines, behind-the-scenes videos, and memes.
The most viewed TikTok video ever is Zach King’s Harry Potter Illusion video, which has 2.2 billion views and counting.
In the video, Zach can be seen riding a flying broom with a Harry Potter coat, in an illusion that makes him look like he’s levitating over the road.
