Khaby Lame, the world’s most followed TikTok personality, has been deported from the United States after allegedly staying past the expiration of his visa. The 25-year-old internet star, known for his silent reaction videos, was reportedly detained last Friday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to an official ICE statement, Lame had entered the country on April 30 but “overstayed the terms of his visa.” No additional details were shared about the type of visa he held or how long he remained in the country beyond the allowed duration.
Lame, who is of Senegalese descent but holds Italian citizenship, rose to global fame with his simple, wordless reactions to overly complicated life hacks.
His content, which has earned him more than 160 million followers on TikTok, is widely shared for its humor and universal appeal. His massive online presence has opened the doors to collaborations with major fashion brands, a role in a Hollywood production, and his own reality series, Khaby Is Coming To America, aired on the streaming platform Tubi.
His sudden deportation has triggered a wave of online discussion and political commentary. A post by Bo Loudon, a Trump-aligned Gen Z influencer, gained attention after he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Every single illegal alien needs to be DEPORTED. When I found out the biggest TikTok star, Khaby Lame, is an illegal alien evading taxes, I worked with Trump’s ICE to have him removed. He’s since been detained by ICE and removed.”
So far, Lame has not released an official response regarding the incident. However, a recent Instagram story tagged in São Paulo, Brazil, shared on Monday, appears to confirm his first public location since his removal from the U.S.
His former lawyer, Riccardo Lanzo, told The New York Times that Lame had spent a lot of time in the U.S. over the past few months but noted that there were uncertainties about the exact status of his visa. Lanzo did not confirm whether Lame had legal representation during his detention or what the next legal steps might be.
