Charli D’Amelio Speaks Out On TikTok Ban As A Leading Influencer

Influencer Charli D’Amelio, one of TikTok’s most prominent stars, reached out to fans with a lighthearted message after the platform went offline in the United States on January 18.

D’Amelio’s journey began in 2019 when she posted her first TikTok, a lip-sync video with a friend. Her popularity skyrocketed after she shared a duet video with another TikTok user later that year.

By 2020, Charli D’Amelio became the first person to reach 100 million followers on the platform and is now worth an estimated $45 million.

Turning to Instagram, where she boasts 42 million followers, D’Amelio posted a short video addressing the TikTok ban, “Hey, reels, how we doing?” Smiling, she started to say, “We’re here,” before the video cut off.

The caption was simple but resonant, “Hey.” She also shared the video as a Facebook reel, where she has over 2 million followers.

Charli’s father, Marc D’Amelio, has been a vocal advocate for TikTok, calling the ban “un-American” and a violation of free speech. “It’s so un-American for our government to ban something that has been such an important part of the average American citizen’s life — having a platform for free speech, and protecting our First Amendment rights,” he said, per The Times.

Marc later expressed concern over the potential long-term impact on his daughters’ careers and the millions of users who rely on TikTok for community, expression, and livelihood.

D’Amelio joined TikTok in mid-2019 and quickly gained attention with her dance routines.

Her first viral video featured the “Renegade” dance, which helped popularize the routine and established her as one of TikTok’s top dancers. Her success also came at the perfect time, as TikTok’s algorithm favored engaging short videos, which her dance clips perfectly suited.

She made history in November 2020 when she became the first TikTok creator to reach 100 million followers, cementing her status as one of the platform’s most prominent stars.

Beyond TikTok, she explored other creative avenues, such as music, releasing her debut single, “If You Ask Me To,” in 2022. She also won Season 31 of “Dancing with the Stars.”

Charli and her family capitalized on their collective fame with “The D’Amelio Show” on Hulu, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their lives. According to the Economic Times, D’Amelio is the second most popular TikTok influencer, with 155.8 million followers, trailing Senegalese-Italian creator Khabane Lame, who has 162 million.

TikTok became unavailable to users in the United States on Saturday evening, just hours before a law banning the platform was expected to go into effect. When users attempted to access the app, they were met with a pop-up message stating, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted.”

This development follows a ruling by the Supreme Court on Friday, which upheld the ban and rejected a free speech challenge filed by TikTok. The company subsequently issued a statement confirming its plans to make the app inaccessible to U.S. users by the stated deadline.

The ban stems from legislation signed by President Joe Biden in April, requiring TikTok to divest from its Chinese ownership and sell to a U.S.-based company. Failure to comply would result in the app’s shutdown in the U.S. However, the Biden administration indicated that enforcement of the ban would be managed by the incoming Trump administration.

President-elect Donald Trump addressed the situation during a phone interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker on Saturday. He suggested that TikTok might receive a 90-day reprieve from the potential ban, stating he would “most likely” take that step.

The ban has sparked widespread mourning among American TikTok users, who have relied on the platform as a cornerstone of internet culture. For millions, TikTok was not just an entertainment app but a space for creativity, community, and cultural exchange. The abrupt shutdown has left many users uncertain about the future of their online presence and connections formed through the platform.

As the U.S. government weighs the potential ban, the D’Amelios and millions of TikTok users await the Supreme Court’s decision, which could set a precedent for the platform’s role in American digital culture and free speech rights.