TikTok Star Khaby Lame on His Tubi Comedy Series and Budding Acting Career: ‘My Dream Is to Win an Oscar!’
28.06.2024 - 12:17
/ variety.com
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Khaby Lame brought his comedic chops to the U.S. — and the producers of his new unscripted series, “Khaby Is Coming to America,” are hoping his millions of TikTok fans will come along for the ride. The limited three-part series follows Lame as he explores the best (and weirdest) people, places and cuisine that America has to offer.
In each 20-minute episode, the Senegalese-born Italian social media personality visits a different city — Miami, New Orleans and New York — and meets with celebrity guests David Beckham, Alicia Keys, Jon Batiste and Steven A. Smith as well as local influencers. The series premiered Friday, June 28, on Tubi, Fox Corp.’s free, ad-supported streaming service.
“Khaby Is Coming to America” (a nod to the 1988 Eddie Murphy movie) was co-produced by Group Black, an “inclusive, mission-driven” media and advertising company, and Procter & Gamble. Several of P&G’s brands are featured in the series, including Tide, Crest and Febreze. Lame, asked about meeting up with Beckham, Keys, Batiste and Smith, told Variety, “Nobody surprised me! These people were really fun.
Meeting them was like I thought it would be.” Lame said he was excited about collaborating with each of them but he did single out Batiste, the celebrated musician and filmmaker, as being extremely funny. Did Batiste give Lame comedy pointers? Well, music tips, at least: When the two of them met in New Orleans, Lame said, “He taught me how to sing.” Lame, 24, is the most-followed individual on TikTok, a title he’s held for the past two years. Currently, he has more than 162 million followers for his comedy sketches and reaction videos — which are typically wordless.