The Senegal-born creator who once communicated only through shrugs and hand gestures has now made one of the biggest commercial moves in global digital history.
Khaby Lame, the world’s most followed TikTok star, has turned viral fame into a business deal valued at around $900 million, firmly placing an African-born creator at the centre of the global digital economy.
Born Serigne Khabane “Khaby” Lame on March 9, 2000, in Senegal, Lame later migrated with his family to Italy, where he was raised in the industrial town of Chivasso before taking up Italian citizenship.
His early life was defined by modest means, far removed from the global influence he commands today.
Before fame, Lame worked as a factory hand until the COVID-19 pandemic cost him his job — a turning point that pushed him towards content creation.
“I didn’t have a plan, I just wanted to make people laugh with things everyone could understand,” Lame has previously said of his early TikTok experiments.
Posting silent reaction videos that mocked overly complicated “life hacks”, Lame’s exaggerated gestures and deadpan expressions resonated across borders and languages.
Within two years, he became TikTok’s most followed creator, amassing more than 360 million followers globally and turning wordless comedy into a universal digital language.
Rather than relying solely on sponsorships, Lame built a structured business around his popularity through Step Distinctive Limited, which centralised brand partnerships, merchandise, e-commerce and content-driven sales.
That long-term strategy culminated in a landmark transaction announced in January 2026.
U.S.-listed Rich Sparkle Holdings agreed to acquire a significant stake in Step Distinctive in a deal valued at approximately $900 million, granting it exclusive global commercial rights to the Khaby Lame brand for 36 months.
The agreement covers endorsements, e-commerce operations, merchandise and TikTok Shop activity.
In a break from traditional influencer deals, Lame will become a controlling shareholder in Rich Sparkle Holdings. “This is not just an endorsement deal, it’s about building something sustainable and global,” the company said in a statement announcing the partnership.
The deal also authorises the creation of an AI-powered digital twin, allowing Lame’s likeness to generate multilingual content and engage audiences around the clock.
While the transaction does not make Lame a billionaire outright, it firmly places him among the world’s most financially successful digital creators.
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