Khaby Lame — the silent comedic genius who rose from factory worker to the most-followed TikTok creator in the world with over 162 million followers — just learned the hard way that even social media royalty isn’t above immigration law.
On June 6, Lame was briefly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa, just weeks after rubbing elbows with A-listers at the star-studded 2025 Met Gala in New York City.
Lame, whose real name is Seringe Khabane Lame, entered the United States on April 30, reportedly to attend the Met Gala on May 5, where he turned heads in a custom gray zoot suit.
But it seems the social media superstar got too comfortable, as ICE officials nabbed him for “immigration violations” after he overstayed the terms of his visa.
Rather than face prolonged detention or removal proceedings, ICE granted Lame “voluntary departure” the same day — a legal option that allows foreign nationals to leave the U.S. at their own expense without the formal stain of deportation on their record.
Lame has reportedly returned to Italy, where he holds citizenship.
On Monday, DHS announced that “illegal aliens who self-deport through the CBP Home App will receive forgiveness of any failure to depart fines, in addition to cost-free travel and a $1,000 exit bonus. By self-deporting, illegal aliens take control of their departure and may preserve the opportunity to come back to the U.S. the right and legal way in the future.”
BREAKING: ICE confirms TikTok’s most followed creator, Khaby Lames was taken into custody.
“Lame entered the United States April 30 and overstayed the terms of his visa. Lame was granted voluntary departure June 6 and has since departed the U.S.” pic.twitter.com/VWfp1zQ4Hj
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 7, 2025
New York Post reported:
Lame, who was born in Senegal, had entered the US on April 30 under a temporary visa. Lame had been in New York City last month, attending the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a sharp, gray suit festooned with pocket watches.
The incident went viral after political activist Bo Loudon claimed he personally reported Lame to immigration authorities and alleged that the TikTokker was being held at the Henderson Detention Center in Nevada.
Lame, whose social media accounts are filled with humorous clips and videos of his globe-trotting exploits, has yet to publicly discuss the incident.
Although born in West Africa, Lame has spent the majority of his life in Italy, where he joined TikTok during the pandemic out of boredom before his meteoric rise.
Lame’s videos, mostly wordless, captivate viewers with humor conveyed through his comedic body language reacting to videos and online sketches.
Lame surpassed social media star Charli D’Amelio as the most followed content creator on TikTok back in 2022, with the Italian citizen maintaining the lead three years and counting.
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