TikTok creator Charli D’Amelio made $17.5 million in 2021
Charli D’Amelio was the highest earning TikTok creator in 2021, raking in approximately $17.5 million (£54 million), according to Forbes.
The 17-year-old, from Connecticut, US, is the most popular person on the platform, boasting more than 133 million followers.
Her older sister, Dixie, has around half the number of followers (56 million) but was the second highest earner last year, making approximately $10 million, according to Forbes.
@charlidamelio @Daniel Ruiz @efcollection
♬ Say So (feat. Nicki Minaj) - Doja Cat / Nicki Minaj
In 2021, the platform’s five highest paid creators collectively made $55.5 million, a 200 per cent increase on figures from 2020.
While most popular creators, like the ‘D’Amelio sisters and Addison Rae have expanded their income streams, around 30 to 50 per cent of their earnings still come from sponsored content on TikTok.
In September 2021, the first episode of the D’Amelio sisters’ reality TV programme, The D’Amelio Show, aired on Hulu. It has since been renewed for another two seasons.
While Charli has partnered with Invisalign, Morphe cosmetics and Dunkin Donuts to name a few, the sisters also launched a new brand in partnership with Abercrombie & Fitch, named Social Tourist.
Meanwhile, Rae starred in the popular Netflix movie, He’s All That.
Forbes predicts that the influencers could charge as much as $500,000 for a single piece of sponsored content, but likely earn between $100,000 to $250,000 per post – more than double the amount they would have made in 2020.
According to Wall Street Journal analysis of data from MyLogIq, the influencers are even earning more than chief executives at the US’ top companies.
The median pay for a CEO of an S&P 500 company in 2020 was $13.4 million. The CEO of Starbucks, Kevin Johnson, took home $14.7 million, while McDonald’s’ Chris Kempczinski earned $10.8 million.
