If you spend any time on TikTok, you probably already know that bad dancing and wealth often go hand in hand and it seems to have worked out for Charli D’Amelio, whose estimated net worth is $12 million. How has she done it? An early arrival on TikTok definitely helped, given that the now 17-year old D’Amelio started her account in 2019.
To acknowledge the obvious, Charli definitely came into all this with the genetic chops for fame and fortune. Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, her father was Marc D’Amelio, a former Republican senate candidate. Her mother, Heidi, was a model and photographer.
Charli seems to have inherited her father’s Republican business instincts for wealth along with her mother’s looks, a combination that has served her well in today’s celeb/wealth-worshiping culture.
As for the rest of it, consider D’Amelio’s rise to fame and fortune a combination of beauty, dancing and social media savvy.
She first blew up in late 2019, going from less than a million followers to 50 million in April of 2020 to 123.6 million in September of 2021.
But there’s more to the story than sheer numbers. Charli’s also a member of the infamous TikTok Hype House, which basically specializes in meaningless celebrity drama. That helped kick start the inevitable reality TV venture, the D’Amelio Show, and just for good measure Charli threw in the equally inevitable dramatic break-up, this one with fellow TikToker Chase Hudson.
So far it sounds like the social media version of the classic formula for a one-hit wonder, but Charli has since gone big with some huge brands. She’s done videos for the likes of Procter & Gamble, Yoplait, Dunkin Donuts, Invisalign and Step, and she’s earned tons of ad revenue via YouTube.
Charli has also dipped her toes into the world of old-school media, doing a Super Bowl commercial for Sabra Hummus that reportedly netted her a cool million. Supposedly her posts now pay her about $100K per, and naturally she’s making tons of cash from all the cute merch she’s selling.
Her show is moving on up, too. Hulu has picked it up, so Charli and her sister Dixie will now pontificate and discuss their lives as TikTok celebs. If this makes it sounds like Charli and Dixie may be on the road to becoming the new Kardashians, that’s because the blueprint feels remarkably familiar.
Charlie is also going to try her hand at acting, which may or may not turn out to be a problematic venture. She recently made her debut doing a character voice in the animated “Stardog and TurboCat,” so clearly Charli’s on track to add plenty of high art to her cash-generating repertoire.
Cosmetics are part of the package, too, of course. Charlie and Dixie have signed on with Morphe cosmetics, and they’ve collaborated with Orosa Beauty on a nail polish collection. If surface beauty is your thing, Charli and Dixie are definitely the gals for you.
To some extent Charli’s career seems closely tied to TikTok, but she’s clearly looking to go way beyond that. She recently signed on with Sony Music executive Barbara Jones and Outshine Talent. If Charli can actually carry a tune she’ll probably be hitting the pop charts soon, too.
