TikTok's Markell Washington Made 6 Figures After Moving to L.A.: 'Social Media Changed My Life'
PEOPLE/Sweety High
Make way for Markell Washington!
The TikTok star, 24, hosts PEOPLE's TikTok series That's My Ride, produced in partnership with Gen Z media platform Sweety High. The show follows Washington as he hits the road with his influencer friends — in their own swanky cars.
Washington prompts his guests to get real about everything from their experiences with fame to the hidden items in their center consoles. Plus, he finds out how the influencers' rides relate to their personalities.
Washington himself drives a blue 2021 Model 3 Tesla, complete with "futuristic" silver rims, which he shows off in an episode of the series. But the star, who hails from the small town of Brunswick, Georgia, still pinches himself when he drives his car. "Never ever have I thought I would be driving a Tesla or living in Los Angeles," he says on That's My Ride. "Social media has changed my life."
Washington rose to fame on TikTok for his dancing and gymnastics videos, and followers fell in love with his infectious energy. His career continued to take off when fellow influencer Tayler Holder invited him to join the content-creating collective Triller Compound. The group has since disbanded, but Washington says he's made "lifelong friends" while pursuing his social media career.
The perks definitely don't end there: Washington's hard work has led him down an extremely lucrative path. "This is off the record," he jokes on That's My Ride. "But I got six figures in the first two months of me moving to Los Angeles."
"And that's not to gloat, but just to encourage y'all, if you got a dream, go after it," the TikToker, who has 8.5 million followers, says from behind the wheel.
Need a lift? 🚗 Hop in the front seat with @markell_123 and @sweetyhigh in our new series That's My Ride, where we're taking an inside look at the cars of some of TikTok's biggest creators! Watch now: https://t.co/7nziW4NoCb pic.twitter.com/2tkTxzCvuf
— People (@people) October 5, 2021
One particularly proud moment in the influencer's career was buying his mom a car for Christmas. "She just immediately busted out in tears," he remembers.
Follow @people on TikTok to watch Washington go for a spin with influencers like Corey Funk, Chase Mattson, Dance Moms alumna Nia Sioux and more, only on That's My Ride.
