TikTok sensation Khaby Lame was reportedly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend for violating immigration regulations.
The Italian influencer—who boasts more than 162 million followers and 2.5 billion likes on TikTok, making him the platform’s most-followed creator—was held by authorities as he attempted to leave the United States on Friday, June 6.
Lame, originally from Senegal, arrived in the U.S. on April 30 to attend the Met Gala on May 5, where he appeared in collaboration with fashion house Hugo Boss.
However, his visit took an unexpected turn when he attempted to depart from Las Vegas—marking the beginning of a legal snag that disrupted his travel plans.
In a statement issued to AFP, ICE confirmed: “US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Seringe Khabane Lame, 25, a citizen of Italy, June 6, at the Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada for immigration violations.
TikTok star Khaby Lame pictured at the Met Gala early last month, which is held in New York City (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
The agency went on to explain how he was held for ‘overstaying the terms of his visa’, but that the UNICEF goodwill ambassador was released the same day and ‘has since departed the US’.
Lame hasn’t addressed the issue online, suggesting it was merely a slight hiccup in his famed life, and even took to TikTok yesterday to post a promotional video of him pretending to mine like a character from Minecraft, with Tony the Tiger of Kelloggs.
Five years ago Lame’s life was stark contrast to what it is today, having only began posting content to the platform in 2020 after losing his job working in a factory during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Today last year, he explained: “I started during the pandemic when I lost my job. I started to make happy videos on social media, but was never thinking that they were gonna grow like this, you know?
Khaby Lame was detained in the US on Friday for ‘violating’ immigration rules, but was released the same day (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
“I was just making videos to make people happy.”
When asked whether he knew what it was about his videos that made people all around the world love them, he replied: “I think people like my videos for the expression, for the simplicity there, because it’s a simple video.
“And then the effect that I don’t talk is a universal language. All the people can understand and be part of the comedy without having words. They just have to watch the video and enjoy it.”
Other than his attendance at Met Gala, he also posted a video of him donning a Los Angeles Lakers jersey, sporting Kobe Bryant on the back.
