Khaby Lame becomes Italian citizen after 21 years of living there

Khaby Lame, the most followed TikTok user in the world, has been granted Italian citizenship.

The 22-year-old comedian was born in Senegal but has lived in Italy since the age of one.

On Wednesday (17 August), Lame – who said he ‘always felt Italian’ – was awarded his citizenship during a ceremony in his hometown of Chivasso.

Speaking to reporters at the time, Lame said he was ‘very proud’ and ‘feels a great responsibility for the oath I took’.

TikTok/Khaby

It’s been an exciting few months for Lame, who dethroned Charli D’Amelio to become the most followed account on TikTok back in June. 

Despite only creating his account in April 2021, Khaby, a former factory worker in Italy, quickly charmed his way to the top of the platform and managed to rack up millions of followers with his side-splitting physical comedy and funny facial expressions.

The key to Khaby’s popularity lies in his ability to satirise the absurdity of the so-called ‘life hacks’ pushed by other content creators on the platform.

A prime example would be slicing up an apple. Most of us would chop it up with a knife – right? Well, one of Khaby's videos shows a muscled bloke attempting to crack open an apple with his bare hands.

The clip then cuts to Lame, who simply chops through an apple using a knife – like the majority of us would.

Lame started his TikTok after losing his job due to the coronavirus pandemic and managed to build his fanbase without saying a single word.

Instead, Lame uses what has become his signature expression: a deadpan shrug.

Twitter/KhabyLame

Speaking to Forbes in March, Lame explained: “The pandemic had just started, and I was bored with a lot of time on my hands so I started making videos on TikTok.”

Asked how he’d describe himself to people who didn’t know him, Lame replied: “I would describe myself as a simple person, but full of ideas and inspiration. Making people laugh has always been my biggest passion in life. 

“I have big dreams and will not stop until I have reached them. What I’m doing now is also a dream coming true!”

Lame was also quick to gush about his follower base, saying: “My follower base is my family and I would not be who I am without family. 

“I would never see them as just numbers, as everybody is someone I want to build relationships with, both offline and online.”