She’s the world’s most followed TikToker, but who actually is Charli D’Amelio?

52 million followers, to be exact

4 years ago

Whether you’re an occasional TikTok user who flicks through when you’ve got a couple of minutes free here and there, or you’re an absolute obsessive that not only watches for hours but makes their own, you’ll likely know at least a little bit about poster girl Charli D’Amelio.

Perhaps it’s the madly flailing armed movements that you see all over the TL, or the mimed routines with her (now ex) boyfriend Lil Huddy, but you practically can’t open the app without her being in the first 10 “random” scrolls down on the For You Page. So, from small choreographed routines to Super Bowl ads and a guest spot on Jimmy Fallon’s show, just who is Charli D’Amelio, and how did she achieve such astronomical success at such a young age?

How did it all start?

Charli was born in 2004, making her 15 which is the first massive “I’m too old to have any opinion on this person in the public eye” moment. Then you’ll learn that she started making videos in the summer of 2019, and it puts her huge success into perspective.

Her first video is of her and a friend miming footage to audio mocking the “hoes mad” song, and it looks as if she’s come a long way since. She’s filmed it in landscape on a portrait video app, which is practically a cardinal sin:

In terms of her background, her father is a politician, whose Twitter bio reads “CEO of the D’Amelio family”, perhaps implying that he’s the manager of his daughters, or perhaps just playing on the running “CEO” joke in the comments of numerous TikToks. Her sister, Dixie, is also very popular on the app.

How is Charli D’Amelio famous?

She recently became the most followed person on TikTok, overtaking Loren Gray on March 25th, but despite almost exclusively miming audio and uploading short dance routines on the app, Charlie D’Amelio’s success on TikTok has opened a lot of opportunities up for her in other media.

For example, her celebrity status was first truly verified when she appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for humous. I mean, it’s not the most glamorous thing to advertise, but not many people can say that they’ve been in a Super Bowl commercial at the age of 15. Fuck it, I’d advertise a garden rake for some spare change:

Being the first proper TikTok celebrity has meant she’s starred in lots of content from fellow creators as well – she’s starting to get a hold on YouTube like every Vine/TikTok celeb does, amassing over three million followers despite uploading just six videos. She’ll definitely do a Logan Paul if TikTok ever dies, not that that shows any signs of ever being the case.

She has appeared on the channels of loads of YouTube celebrities – David Dobrick’s, James Charles’ and Noah Schnapp’s to name just a few:

What is Charli D’Amelio up to now?

Well, she is currently embroiled in a feud with celeb blogger Perez Hilton, who has been accused of body-shaming her for a particular video in which she dances in a bikini. She has been the subject of a number of his videos, where he criticises her parents for letting her do this at her age.

A petition for his removal from the platform has reached over 80,000 signatures. I know you’re trying to reach new audiences with relevant subjects, but stick to the untouchables Perez!! He has also made videos about her recent breakup with Chase Hudsdon (aka Lil Huddy), who is a fellow member of her gang of TikTok buddies “The Hype House”.

Apart from that, she seems to be doing fine according to her Instagram (where she has a fucking ridiculous 16+ million followers) she’s in lockdown with her family and she’s doing what any other bored teenage TikTok superstar is. She still can’t nail the correct filming orientation for her videos: