If you’re over the age of 25, the name Charli D’Amelio probably doesn’t ring a bell to you.
The 16-year-old, who currently has more than 57 million followers on TikTok, has been declared the “reigning queen of TikTok” by the New York Times.
Currently, the American teenager has the most-followed account on the ever-growing platform.
Watch: Charlie D’Amelio on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon below. Post continues after video.
But it’s hard to explain how or why the 16-year-old was able to gain such an astronomical following.
For D’Amelio, fame virtually came overnight. Within just six months of posting her first video on the platform, she had collated more than five million followers.
Like many other teenagers, D’Amelio, who has been competing in dancing since she was five years old, posts videos of herself dancing, lip-syncing, and creating new choreography, which fans and viewers then recreate.
In terms of content, D’Amelio’s TikTok videos are certainly nothing new. When the video-sharing app was first created, it merged with musical.ly – an app which allowed users to create and share lip-sync videos.
And yet despite the fact that TikTok is overflowing with countless dance routines and lip-sync videos, it was the doe-eyed high schooler from Connecticut who ultimately cut through.
The 16-year-old, whose net worth is estimated to be in the millions, doesn’t quite know why she’s so famous either.
“I wish I could give everyone an explanation as to what happened but I have no idea,” she told MEL earlier this year.
“I’m just doing what I do every day and posting it, I guess. It’s very insane to me, as it is for everyone else watching.”
Her older sister, 18-year-old Dixie D’Amelio, who also shares dancing and lip-syncing videos, currently has more than 24 million followers.
Likewise, her parents Marc and Heidi often appear in their daughters’ videos – and even have their own accounts.
While dad Marc shares lip-syncing videos to his four million followers, mum Heidi shares a mix of family videos and health and lifestyle content to her four million followers.
With Marc and Heidi on the platform, D’Amelio’s content is always under the watchful eyes of her parents, who have even advised her against following certain TikTok trends or challenges, such as the controversial ‘mugshot challenge’. (The challenge involved using makeup to create a mugshot-inspired look, complete with blood and bruises).
“My parents have always been careful about making sure I don’t post anything I wouldn’t want on the internet, because you never know what’s going to happen,” she told Vogue.
“[The] mugshot challenge got bad feedback from a lot of people. That whole situation made me realise that my parents have my best interests at heart and want nothing but the best for me. They were right.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the entire D’Amelio family is signed with United Talent Agency to work on potential and upcoming projects like digital content, podcasts, books and TV.
Prior to signing with the agency in early 2020, D’Amelio hosted her very first fan meet and greet in November 2019, which was attended by hundreds of fans.
For $100, fans could meet the teenager and take a photo or TikTok with her. Although D’Amelio was criticised for the fee, she later clarified that the money would cover her security, while the rest of the profits would go to charity.
In the same month, D’Amelio gained her first taste of fame outside TikTok. While Bebe Rexha was opening for the Jonas Brothers at the Barclays Center in New York City, the singer invited her to dance on stage during her performance.
In February 2020, the TikTok star appeared in a Super Bowl ad for Sabra Hummus among big names including rapper T-Pain and Real Housewives of New Jersey foes Teresa Giudice and Caroline Manzo. She also sat front-row at Prada’s autumn/winter 2020 show in Milan, and appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
D’Amelio has also gained a following on other social media platforms, gaining over 18 million followers on Instagram. She has also since launched a YouTube channel, which has over four million subscribers, and has appeared on the channels of popular YouTubers, including James Charles and David Dobrik.
At just 16 years old, her net worth is currently estimated at around three to four million.
Charli D’Amelio’s personal life
As a regular high school student, gaining fame on TikTok hasn’t exactly made D’Amelio’s personal life easy.
At school, the 16-year-old’s classmates have often recorded her walking to and from class, and shared it with each other in private group chats.
“It’s the internet,” she told MEL. “Everything gets around, you know. Like, no way I wasn’t going to see that.”
Online, D’Amelio has also faced constant trolling and body shaming.
She has even been criticised by Perez Hilton, who slammed her parents for allowing her to share a video in which she dances in a bikini.
In April, D’Amelio shared that she’s constantly objectified online.
In April, however, the pair shared that they had officially broken up.
“It hurts me to say this, but we’ve decided that this is what’s best for both of us. We are still close friends and I would not change that for anything!” D’Amelio wrote on Instagram.
“I’m sorry I waited so long to tell you all. I wanted to take the time to process it for myself. Breakups are tough for anyone, so I’d really rather not talk about it anymore.”
The Hype House
In December 2019, the ‘Hype House’ was created by Lil Huddy and YouTuber Thomas Petrou.
The home, which is a rental mansion in Los Angeles, is home to more than a dozen TikTok stars. While some live there full time, others just stay there while they’re in town.
Essentially, the Hype House was created as a hub for the group to create content together for TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
According to the New York Times, the house has strict rules – Hype House is not a party house, you have to replace anything you break, and you have to create content daily.
Both D’Amelio and her sister Dixie were key members of the group amid its inception.
However, as of last month, the pair bowed out.
“When the Hype House started to become more of a business, Charli and Dixie stepped away from that aspect. While their businesses are separate, their friendships with the members continue,” their rep told the Hollywood Reporter.
Listen to Mamamia’s daily news podcast, The Quicky, below. Post continues after podcast.
What’s next for Charli D’Amelio?
As for D’Amelio’s future, the TikTok star hopes her social media fame will help launch her professional dancing career.
The 16-year-old is also launching a weekly podcast with her sister, which will offer a behind-the-scenes look into their lives.
“We’re so excited to share what’s happening with us and our family since this all started,” the two sisters said.
“Most of what we share is less than a minute long — usually seconds — so it’s actually gonna be fun to be able to talk with our fans and break down everything going on in our lives.”
Feature Image: TikTok.
For more on this topic:
- Karl Stefanovic is ‘dad dancing’ on TikTok now and we’ve officially reached peak isolation.
- “OK… so how do I actually use TikTok?” A step-by-step guide to the app everyone’s talking about.
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