Influencer Charlie D'Amelioone of TikTok's most prominent stars, addressed fans with a light-hearted message after the platform went offline in the United States on January 18.

D'Amelia's journey began in 2019 when she released her first TikToklip sync video with a friend. Her popularity skyrocketed after she shared a duet 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 around $45 million.

Turning to Instagram, where she boasts 42 million followers, D'Amelio posted a short video in which she addressed the TikTok ban, "Hey drums, how are we?" Smiling, she began to say, "We're here," before the video cut out.

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

Charlie's father, Marc D'Amelio, has been a vocal proponent of TikTok, calling the ban "un-American" and a violation of free speech. "It is so un-American for our government to ban something that has been such an important part of the average American citizen's life — to have a platform for free speech and protect our First Amendment rights," he said. The Times.

Marc later expressed concern about 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 fit perfectly.

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.

Aside from 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."

Charlie 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, behind Senegalese-Italian creator Khabane Lame, who has 162 million.

TikTok became unavailable to users in the United States on Saturday night, just hours before the law banning the platform was expected to take effect. When users tried to access the app, they were greeted with a pop-up message that read: "A bill has been passed to ban TikTok."

The development follows a Supreme Court ruling 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 unavailable to US users by the stated deadline.

The ban comes from the law they signed President Joe Biden in April, demanding that TikTok be divested of Chinese ownership and sold to a US-based company. Failure to comply would result in the application being terminated in the US. However, the Biden administration has indicated that enforcement of the ban will be handled by the incoming Trump administration.

The newly elected president Donald Trump addressed the situation during a phone interview with Meet the reporters from NBC News moderator Kristen Welker on Saturday. He suggested that TikTok could get a 90-day reprieve from a potential ban, saying it would "most likely" take that step.

The ban caused widespread grief among US TikTok users, who have come to rely 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 sudden shutdown left many users unsure about the future of their online presence and connections formed through the platform.

While the U.S. government considers a potential ban, D'Amelios and TikTok's millions of 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.