Charli D’Amelio Biography 2026: Age, Career, Family, Net Worth

Charli D’Amelio is an American social media personality, dancer, and actress who became TikTok’s biggest star and went on to win Dancing with the Stars and perform on Broadway. Born on May 1, 2004, in Norwalk, Connecticut, the 22-year-old has more than 159 million followers on TikTok, making her the second most-followed person on the app. She has been in the headlines this week after a Hollywood Reporter cover story in which she spoke about stepping away from her family’s business, denied claims that her parents mishandled her money, and said she’ll announce a major project in November.

Charli D’Amelio Quick Facts

Why Is Charli D’Amelio Trending in 2026?

Mostly because of her family. On October 21, she gave a long interview to The Hollywood Reporter about separating from her parents’ business, running her own finances, and the money rumors that spread earlier this year. She said the claims that her parents stole from her were not true, though she also admitted she didn’t start paying attention to her finances until she was around 21. She and her parents have unfollowed each other on Instagram, her father has said he now talks to her through her lawyer, and she says she’s planning to reveal a major project in November.

Charli D’Amelio Early Life

Charli was born on May 1, 2004, in Norwalk, Connecticut. Her mother, Heidi, is a photographer and former model, and her father, Marc, runs a business and once ran for the Connecticut state senate as a Republican. She has one older sister, Dixie, who is also a social media star.

Charli started dancing at the age of three and spent more than ten years as a competitive dancer before TikTok existed in her life. She went to the private King School in Stamford, Connecticut, but moved to online school once her social media following took off.

Charli D’Amelio Family

Charli grew up close to her parents and sister, and for years the family’s story was part of her brand. Her mother Heidi and father Marc managed much of her career, starred in The D’Amelio Show with her, and co-founded the family’s business ventures. Her sister Dixie is a TikTok creator, singer, and fellow Hulu series star.

That picture has changed. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Charli hasn’t been seen publicly with her parents or Dixie for about a year. In June, Marc posted a video denying money-related rumors and said she’d been manipulated by people around her. Charli told the magazine that she loves Dixie and will “till the day I die,” but that there are times when people are working things out. In a separate interview, Dixie said she’s been learning to find her own identity beside her sister.

Charli D’Amelio Education

Charli attended the private King School in Stamford, Connecticut. As her TikTok career grew, she switched to online classes and finished school virtually. She has not talked about going to college, and she has spent most of her adult life working full-time since the age of 15.

Charli D’Amelio Career

How Charli D’Amelio Started on TikTok (2019)

Charli joined TikTok in May 2019 with a lip-sync video made alongside a friend. Her first video to gain real attention was a duet with a creator named Move With Joy that July. For the rest of the year, her content was mostly short dances to trending songs, and the style was relatable: an ordinary teenager from Connecticut, not a polished performer.

In October 2019, she posted herself doing the “Renegade” dance to K Camp’s “Lottery.” She was credited with popularizing the dance, and some people wrongly believed she created it, calling her the “CEO of Renegade.” After a New York Times story revealed that a young dancer named Jalaiah Harmon had created it, Charli faced criticism for not crediting Harmon, and she began crediting the creators of the dances she posted.

That fall, she and Dixie joined the TikTok collective The Hype House. In late 2019 she signed with the management company Outshine Talent, and in January 2020, the whole family signed with United Talent Agency. She also started her YouTube vlog channel in November 2019 and joined Bebe Rexha onstage during Rexha’s set opening for the Jonas Brothers.

Becoming TikTok’s Biggest Star (2020)

2020 was the year she became a household name. In February, she appeared in a Super Bowl ad for Sabra hummus. In March, she overtook Loren Gray to become TikTok’s most-followed user, and she became the first person to reach 50 million followers on the app. She and Dixie also teamed up with UNICEF on an anti-bullying campaign, and she worked with Procter & Gamble on the #DistanceDance challenge, which encouraged social distancing early in the pandemic and earned her a Streamy Award nomination.

By May, she had left the Hype House. In June 2020, she voiced the character Tinker in the animated film StarDog and TurboCat, her first movie role. She and Dixie launched a makeup line with Morphe, a nail polish collection, and a podcast deal, and in September, Dunkin’ named a drink “The Charli” after her usual coffee order. In November, she became the first person to cross 100 million followers on TikTok, a feat that earned her a Guinness World Record. In December, she released her first book, Essentially Charli: The Ultimate Guide to Keeping It Real, which became a New York Times bestseller. She also appeared in music videos for Bebe Rexha’s “Baby I’m Jealous” and Jennifer Lopez and Maluma’s “Pa’ Ti + Lonely,” and was named to both the Forbes 30 Under 30 and Fortune 40 Under 40 lists, the youngest ever on the latter at 16.

The D’Amelio Show and Reality TV (2021 to 2023)

In 2021, the family’s life went on screen. The D’Amelio Show premiered on Hulu in September 2021, following Charli, Dixie, Heidi, and Marc, and ran for three seasons before Hulu cancelled it in June 2024. It won an MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Unscripted Series in 2022. The same year, she and Dixie launched the Snapchat competition series Charli vs. Dixie, which ran for two seasons, and they co-created the Hollister apparel brand Social Tourist.

In 2022, she voiced herself on an episode of The Simpsons, and in August she and her mother were announced as contestants on season 31 of Dancing with the Stars, the first parent and child to compete against each other on the show. Charli was partnered with Mark Ballas and won the Mirrorball Trophy in November 2022. That October, she released her debut single, “If You Ask Me To,” a piano ballad about teenage heartbreak that reached the top 40 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart. She also fronted a Prada campaign, performed on the Dancing with the Stars live tour in early 2023, and co-hosted the 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards with Nate Burleson. In 2023, she also judged an episode of Netflix’s Is It Cake? Too and became a brand ambassador for Tamagotchi Uni.

Broadway and a New Direction (2024 and 2025)

In February 2024, she co-starred with Ben Affleck in Dunkin’s “Who Is Ben?” ad, which aired during the Grammys, and later that year became a Garnier ambassador and appeared on Selling Sunset. In October 2024, she made her Broadway debut in the ensemble of the jukebox musical & Juliet, playing a dance-heavy role named Charmian at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. She stayed until September 2025, after extending her run, which meant roughly ten months of eight shows a week, and during that time she moved to New York City without her family. In 2025, she fronted Kate Spade’s spring campaign with Ice Spice, appeared as a dancer in The Weeknd’s film Hurry Up Tomorrow, ranked sixth on Forbes’ Top Creators list, and was named to the first TIME100 Creators list.

2026: Independence

After leaving Broadway, Charli says she went through a severe depression and barely left her apartment for a few months, stepping away from social media while she reconsidered her life. In December 2025, she parted ways with her longtime manager, Greg Goodfried, and she told the Hollywood Reporter she hasn’t hired a replacement because she wants to make her own calls. She moved into her own home in California earlier in 2026, separated from the family business, and now oversees her own finances. She told the magazine that she sees this as her second chance to do things the way she wants, and she’s planning to reveal a major project in November.

Charli D’Amelio Movies and TV Shows

Charli D’Amelio Music

Charli D’Amelio Businesses and Brand Deals

Charli built a business empire with her family, though she has now stepped back from much of it. Over the years, she has worked on Social Tourist with Hollister, a mattress with Simmons, a fragrance called Born Dreamer sold at Ulta, and campaigns for Prada, Kate Spade, Garnier, Dunkin’, and Takis. In 2022, the family launched D’Amelio Brands, which started with $6 million in seed funding and later went into footwear, snacks, skincare, and merchandise. Its popcorn line, Be Happy Snacks, arrived at Walmart in October 2023. They also started a $25 million venture capital fund, 444 Capital, to invest in women- and minority-led startups.

Charli has now exited the family business, including the popcorn company, though she has not detailed what she’ll build next.

Charli D’Amelio Awards, Honors, and Records

Charli D’Amelio Controversies

Charli has had several high-profile controversies, many of them while she was still a teenager. In early 2020, she was criticized for not crediting Jalaiah Harmon, the creator of the Renegade dance, and she began crediting dance creators afterward. In November 2020, she and Dixie faced backlash over a YouTube dinner video where viewers said they were rude to their private chef, and Charli lost more than a million TikTok followers in a day before tearfully addressing it on Instagram. Many commentators called the reaction cruel and misogynistic. In December 2020, she was criticized for vacationing in the Bahamas during the pandemic, and at one point, a user accused her of buying followers, which she denied.

In 2026, the controversy moved closer to home. In May, the gossip account DeuxMoi shared unverified claims that millions of dollars had been moved out of accounts linked to Charli’s career, and her father denied it in June, saying she was being manipulated. Charli told The Hollywood Reporter that the claims are not true and that she wouldn’t say her parents stole her money, adding that the family did many things together. She also said she didn’t begin learning about or helping decide her finances until about 21.

Charli D’Amelio Personal Life and Mental Health

Charli has spoken publicly about her mental health for years. In 2020, she said she had an eating disorder and had dealt with body image struggles. In her recent Hollywood Reporter interview, she said she lived with anxiety from childhood without treatment, was diagnosed with ADHD at 18, and later received diagnoses of OCD and trichotillomania, a hair-pulling disorder. She now sees a therapist, and she says her time on Broadway helped her rediscover her love of performing. In July, she posted that her mental health “keeps declining” amid the family rift, and in the new interview she said she wants to spend the end of 2026 on work she’s proud of. If you or someone you know is struggling, talking to a doctor or a mental health professional can help.

Charli D’Amelio Relationship History

Charli dated fellow TikTok star Chase Hudson from December 2019 to April 2020. She then dated musician Landon Barker, the son of Blink-182’s Travis Barker, from July 2022 to February 2024. She has not publicly confirmed a relationship since, and she is believed to be single. She hasn’t commented on rumors that pop up after public outings.

Charli D’Amelio Net Worth

Popular net worth trackers put Charli’s net worth at around $45 million in 2026, though smaller sites list lower figures. She was Forbes’ highest-earning female TikTok personality in 2019 and the highest-earning on the app in 2022. Her income comes from brand partnerships, Hulu and Snapchat shows, her book, her family’s businesses, and her Broadway run. With her recent exit from the family company, the picture of where her money comes from may change, and these are outside estimates.

Charli D’Amelio Social Media

10 Interesting Facts About Charli D’Amelio

1. She started dancing at age three and competed for more than ten years before joining TikTok.
2. Her first TikTok in May 2019 was a lip-sync video with a friend.
3. She was the first person to reach both 50 million and 100 million followers on TikTok.
4. At 16, she became the youngest person ever named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list.
5. Dunkin’ named a drink “The Charli” after her usual coffee order in 2020.
6. She donated $50,000 to Norwalk Hospital in her hometown in April 2020.
7. She and her mom Heidi were the first parent and child to compete against each other on Dancing with the Stars.
8. She co-hosted the 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards with Nate Burleson.
9. She played herself on an episode of The Simpsons in 2022.
10. She spent about ten months on Broadway in & Juliet, and moved to New York without her family to do it.

Charli D’Amelio Recent News

The biggest recent story is her October 21 Hollywood Reporter cover interview, in which she denied that her parents stole from her, said she’s overseeing her own finances, and revealed she has no manager right now. She says she’s working toward a major announcement in November. Earlier this year, she attended Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood event in August and shared a mental health update in July.

Charli D’Amelio FAQs

How old is Charli D’Amelio?
She was born on May 1, 2004, so she is 22 in 2026.

What is Charli D’Amelio known for?
Her TikTok dance videos, The D’Amelio Show, winning Dancing with the Stars season 31, and her Broadway debut in & Juliet.

How many followers does Charli D’Amelio have?
About 159 million on TikTok and about 40 million on Instagram.

Did Charli D’Amelio win Dancing with the Stars?
Yes, she won season 31 in 2022 with partner Mark Ballas.

Is Charli D’Amelio close with her family?
She says she loves her sister Dixie, but she and her parents unfollowed each other on Instagram and haven’t been seen together for about a year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Did Charli D’Amelio’s parents steal her money?
She told The Hollywood Reporter the claims are not true, though she says she wasn’t involved in her finances until around age 21.

Is Charli D’Amelio dating anyone?
She has not publicly confirmed a relationship.

What is Charli D’Amelio’s net worth?
Estimates are around $45 million.