Shabaz Ali: How this humble chemistry teacher is exposing the empty lives of the super-rich on TikTok
On today’s episode of I’m Rich, You’re Poor, Shabaz Ali is taking a trip down memory lane – or, rather, through the hilly streets of Blackburn, where he grew up and later became a social media sensation. It’s unusual for this teacher turned online star to start to look back – quite the opposite. He’s risen through the ranks of TikTok by giving his 1.9 million followers a much-needed reality check.
Better known by his handle @shabazsays, Ali is loved for his “I’m rich, you’re poor” deadpan takedowns of the super-rich influencers showing off their “hard-earned generational wealth”, all delivered from his bed and dispatched with a dry northern wit.
He’s basically a star now – but, as anyone who’s followed him for any length of time will understand, the most surprising thing about meeting Ali in the flesh is that he’s upright and dressed. He only left his duvet today, he says, to pick me up from Blackburn station. “After this, I’m going straight back to bed too,” he laughs.
