TikTok’ers Charli D’Amelio, 17, and her big sister Dixie D’Amelio, 20, together raked in $27.5 million in 2021. (Source: Wall Street Journal, Variety, and Forbes.) Like other millionaire Gen Z’ers on TikTok, they sing, they dance, they lip sync, they apply makeup in tutorials, and they retire at age 27.

We’re talking serious money…up to $500K for a single post. These are teenagers: ex-hairdressers, former lifeguards, high school students and college freshmen. What?

It’s a celebrity incubator. “TikTok has more than 1.5 billion all-time downloads, and its popularity and influence only continues to spread,” reports Business Insider. On the video clip app that claims more than one billion monthly users, top-earning TikTokers of 2021, per Forbes’ estimates:

As TikTok has grown, so have the earnings reaped by its highest-paid stars. Forbes noted that the highest-paid TikTokers on its list collectively earned $55.5 million last year—up 200% from the 2020 edition of its ranking.”

Of course, the D’Amelio sisters have branched out into celebrity endorsements, a Hulu reality show, a clothing line called Social Tourist with Hollister, and more projects.

Here are the teenagers in February 2020 talking about bullying and their rise to influencer fame.

“Ms. D’Amelio’s compensation was higher than several CEOs of big publicly traded companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Darren Woods ($15.6 million in 2020), Starbucks Corp.’s Kevin Johnson ($14.7 million), Delta Air Lines Inc.’s Ed Bastian ($13.1 million) and McDonald’s Corp.’s Chris Kempczinski ($10.8 million), according to the Journal’s analysis of their recent compensation figures.” — WSJ

Marriott Bonvoy is recruiting three TikTok Correspondents to travel the world of its 30 brands over 300 days. Applicants submit a TikTok video using hashtags #30stays300days #contest between 1/18/22 and 3/18/22 to answer the question, “How has travel shaped you?” Visit www.30stays300days.com. Winners will receive:

• roundtrip airfare
• exclusive adventures
• $10K in Marriott Bonvoy gift cards
• $15K cash
• Uber and Uber Eats vouchers