How Elsa Majimbo went from teenager from Nairobi to social media comedian

In just two years, Elsa Majimbo has rise 2.5 million followers on Instagram by eating potato chips in bed and encouraging her followers to party until they report fraudulent activity to their bank and burst out laughing. And thanks to that antics, the 20-year-old became a superstar with a Teen Vogue cover, a Maison Valentino campaign, also a documentary, and a new home in West Hollywood, Los Angeles.

"Growing up, I always know I would be an icon," Majimbo said at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit Africa Summit 2022 in Gaborone, Botswana. "I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I know it will be done."

Majimbo's story is one of the true gossips in the WME Bureau's fortunes. Raised in Nairobi, Kenya, she was the first member of her family to attend college and major in journalism at the City University of Strathmore. However, when Covid-19 hit, Majimbo was forced to isolate himself and take distance classes. Nevertheless, she released a video about how her human contact was not lacking at all and quickly began to gain fame on social networks.

"When I went viral, the first thing I did was email and leave," Majimbo said of dropping out of college. "It was fake, but I believed I could make it. I was like, 'You know what? I'm going to be a superstar.'

This resonated when other people including celebrities like Lupita Nyongo, Steve Harvey, and Rihanna began to obsess over her videos of finding a boyfriend off her pillow, watching 12 hours a day, and narcissistic comedies. With this newfound fame, Majimbo moved to Los Angeles in 2021 to pursue a great comedy career, coupled with licensing deals like Fenty and Logitech's. Perhaps Majimbo described himself as a millionaire when speaking with CNBC Africa host Tanya Habimana at Monday's U-30 summit. (An artist representative explained that he was "worth millions" but only defined himself as a millionaire for comedic purposes.)

His advice for young entrepreneurs is? "Enjoy your life. It's never been this deep people try to discourage you, but you can do whatever you want.