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Khaby Lame: World's biggest TikTok star leaves US after being detained by ICE

11 June 2025, 06:28 | Updated: 11 June 2025, 09:14

Khaby Lame, the world's most popular TikTok personality, has left the US after being detained by federal agents.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson said the Senegalese-Italian influencer - who has 162.2m followers on TikTok - was detained on Friday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas after he "overstayed the terms of his visa".

The 25-year-old had arrived in the US on 30 April, the ICE spokesperson added, and was allowed to leave the country without a deportation order by a voluntary departure.

Those with a deportation order on their records can be prevented from being allowed back into the US for up to a decade.

While in the US, Lame - whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame - attended the Met Gala and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in New York City.

He became famous online during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he would react to complicated life hack videos without saying a word.

With millions of followers, he signed a multi-year partnership with designer brand Hugo Boss in 2022, and was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in January this year.

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He has not publicly commented on his detention, and has continued posting on TikTok since.

Sky News has approached his representatives for comment.