Who is Khaby Lame, TikTok star detained in the U.S. by immigration officials
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Khaby Lame attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5 in New York City. Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Khaby Lame, the world's most followed TikTok creator, was detained for overstaying a visa and granted voluntary departure from the U.S. this month, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The big picture: Lame's detention comes as the Trump administration enforces its crackdown on immigration and border security.
- Lame, an Italian citizen, was detained on Friday at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for "overstaying the terms of his visa," a senior Homeland Security official said.
- His voluntary departure, also Friday, avoids a deportation order on his immigration record, which could prevent him from being allowed back into the U.S. for up to 10 years.
State of play: The 25-year-old Senegalese-Italian social media star is the most-followed TikToker as of 2025.
- Lame went viral for videos where he silently reacted to complicated "life hacks."
- He has 162.3 million followers and 2.5 billion likes.
- A spokesperson for Lame did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Driving the news: Bo Loudon, a conservative Gen Z influencer, took credit for Lame's deportation. Loudon is friends with Barron Trump, the president's son.
- "I personally took action to have him deported," Loudon wrote on X on June 6, alleging that Lame had overstayed a visa and evaded taxes.
Background
Lame was born in Senegal in 2000, a year before he and his family moved to Italy, according to a biography.
- He and his three siblings grew up in a public housing complex near Turin.
He attended Italian schools until he was 14, when he returned to Senegal and studied at a Quaranic school.
Online success
"Khaby's success is rooted in his universal appeal, as his content transcends language barriers," his biography said.
- He started creating content in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted his layoff as a factory machine operator.
Zoom out: He was listed in Fortune's 40 under 40 and Forbes' 30 under 30 lists in 2022. Forbes also named him a top 10 content creator in 2024.
- Lame attended the Met Gala in New York City in early May.
- He was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January, using his platform to help raise awareness of children's rights globally.
- "From my own experience as a child fearing poverty, struggling to find my passion at school, and losing my job during the COVID-19 pandemic, to finding my place and calling in the world, I know that all children can thrive when they are given a chance and opportunity," Lame said in a January statement.
Go deeper: Republicans warn Trump that some deportations go too far
