Talk about a redemption story!
Charli D’Amelio has reached her goal— officially hitting 100 million TikTok followers on Sunday. Charli is the most-followed creator on the app and the first to break 100 million followers.
Charli’s milestone comes off the back of a whirlwind year for the D’Amelio family.
The 16-year-old first joined TikTok in May 2019 with a lip-syncing video alongside a friend and about six months later, she reached 1 million followers. As a professionally trained dancer, Charli’s talent combined with her positive attitude and humble beginnings became a recipe for her success.
In December 2019, Charli and sister Dixie D’Amelio — who joined TikTok in October 2019 — began traveling to L.A. from their native Connecticut to collaborate with some of the internet’s biggest creators including TikTok’s first creator house, The Hype House.
While the girls never officially moved into The Hype House, they are often credited with its mainstream success by association— most notably, Charli’s on-again-off-again relationship with founding member Chase “Lil Huddy” Hudson.
After a busy start to the new year with press tours, creator trips, and even a Superbowl commercial, Charli surpassed Loren Gray as the most-followed creator on the platform in March 2020.
Shortly after, the D’Amelios relocated to L.A. and signed with United Talent as a family, including parents Marc and Heidi. Both Charli and Dixie have since gone on to launch projects individually and collaboratively.
In June 2020, Charli starred in her first feature film as the voice of Tinker in the American release of StarDog and TurboCat, while Dixie released her first single, Be Happy, on July 1. Charli went on to create her own signature iced coffee with Dunkin’ Donuts and announce her first book release in December 2020.
The sisters have also partnered with Hollister, Morphe, and Orosa Beauty this year, and launched their podcast, 2 CHIX via Ramble.
In August 2020, Charli and Dixie hosted the live premiere of Selena Gomez’s new film, This Is The Year— solidifying the girls’ influence both on and offline.
But instant fame hasn’t come without its hiccups. Just last week Charli lost over 1 million followers in 24 hours after receiving a barrage of backlash for a vlog posted to the D’Amelio family channel in which she’s seen complaining about not reaching 100 million followers fast enough.
“Ugh, I just wish I had like more time ’cause imagine if I hit 100 mil one year after hitting a mil,” the 16-year-old says as the family discusses how far they’ve come in one year since joining TikTok. James Charles, who also features in the video, sarcastically quips back, “95 [million] not enough for you?”
Lucky for Charli, the internet forgives as quickly as it forgets.
To celebrate Charli reaching 100 million followers, TikTok will be donating $100K to the American Dance Movement on December 1, 2020 to provide 10 dance schools across the U.S. with $10,000.
We can’t wait to watch her star continue to rise.