I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Australia has premiered for another year, introducing us to a whole new batch of celebrity contestants.
Alongside well-known Aussie stars such as Dave Hughes and Reggie Bird was an international addition: TikTok star Max Balegde. And if you don't know Max, you're in for a treat.
Who is Max Balegde?
One of my very favourite Gen Z influencers, Max is a comedian who rose to fame in 2020 thanks to his sarcastic videos and his hot-takes on everything from pop culture to politics. In particular, his videos about drunkenly purchasing Disney store merchandise are quite a time (if you know, you know).
He previously told the Lancashire Telegraph he had aspirations of working in digital marketing when he was a student at Newcastle University. Then, his life blew up thanks to TikTok and he now boasts more than 3.5 million followers on the app.
"I had my whole career planned out – I would go to university, get an internship and work in digital marketing," he told the publication. "Now I've been thrust into this whole other world of meeting celebrities and getting to work with them and giant brands."
@max_balegde Was going through my videos from this year and i just had to make a compilation of some of my favs!! What a year!! #andrewscott #zendaya #milliebobbybrown
♬ original sound - Max_Balegde
He started off simply posting videos on TikTok that he "thought were funny" and now does it as a full-time job, which he calls "bizarre".
Since his rise to fame, Max has started working on red carpets and press junkets for films — interviewing Hollywood stars including The Rock, Zendaya, Paul Mescal, Andrew Scott and Millie Bobby Brown.
A proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Max and his partner, Andrew, travelled to Australia with TikTok in 2023 to attend Mardi Gras as Sydney hosted World Pride.
Max Balegde and his partner, Andrew. Image: Getty.
