TikTok is weird. Honestly, it’s a place where you can spend months editing a cinematic masterpiece only for it to flop, while a girl bobbing her head to a catchy song becomes a global phenomenon. If you’ve spent any time scrolling the "For You" page over the last few years, you already know who I’m talking about. Bella Poarch’s "M to the B" clip isn’t just a viral moment; it is the most liked TikTok video in the history of the platform, and its grip on that top spot is kind of legendary at this point.
It happened in August 2020. The world was stuck inside, bored, and looking for literally anything to distract them from the mounting chaos of the pandemic. Enter Bella. She used a face-tracking zoom filter and lip-synced to a track by British rapper Millie B. That’s it. No high-budget production. No complex choreography. Just 10 seconds of rhythmic head nodding and quirky facial expressions.
People were baffled. They still are.
Why did this specific video explode? If you look at the comments today, you’ll see a mix of nostalgia and genuine confusion. Some people call it the "Greatest of All Time," while others are still trying to figure out why 60 million+ people decided to hit that heart button. But there’s a science to the simplicity. It was the perfect storm of lighting, timing, and a creator who understood the "lo-fi" aesthetic of the app better than anyone else.
What the Most Liked TikTok Video Says About Our Brains
There is a psychological phenomenon called "low-stakes engagement." When you see something like Bella’s video, it doesn't ask much of you. You don't have to follow a plot or understand a joke. It’s purely aesthetic and rhythmic. That simplicity is exactly why it became the most liked TikTok video. It was universal. You didn't need to speak English or Tagalog to "get" it.
A lot of people try to recreate this. They fail.
They fail because they overthink the "micro-expressions." If you watch the original clip closely, Poarch’s movements are perfectly synced to the beat. Every twitch of the nose and shift of the eyes feels intentional but effortless. This is what experts in digital media call "reproducibility." It looked easy enough for anyone to try, which sparked a wave of "duets" and "stiches," pushing the original video further into the algorithm's favor.
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The Numbers Don't Lie (But They Are Staggering)
Let's look at the stats because they are actually insane. As of early 2026, the video sits at over 66 million likes. To put that in perspective, the population of many medium-sized countries hasn't even reached that number. It has billions of views. It’s a statistical anomaly that hasn't been dethroned despite the massive growth of creators like Khaby Lame or MrBeast.
Khaby Lame, for instance, has several videos with 30 or 40 million likes. He’s the most followed person, sure. But he hasn't hit that "M to the B" peak. Why? Maybe it's because Khaby’s content is reactionary. Bella’s video was foundational. It defined an era of the app where "face-syncing" was the primary currency of fame.
The Competition: Who Is Chasing the Crown?
It’s not like people aren't trying to take the title. The leaderboard for likes is a revolving door of celebrities and "random" viral hits. You’ve got Jamie Big Sorrel Horse dancing in a mirror, which grabbed over 50 million likes. There’s Franek Bielak’s incredible drawing of colorful lips. Then there’s Nick Luciano, who basically made a career out of parading around and mimicking other viral trends to see if he could break the record.
Nick actually got close. He did a parody of a "sugar crash" video that skyrocketed. But even with a massive push from his followers, he couldn't quite leapfrog Bella.
It’s actually kinda funny when you think about it. The most liked TikTok video isn't a world-changing political statement or a feat of Olympic athleticism. It’s a girl making faces to a grime track from Blackpool, England. That speaks volumes about what we actually want when we open our phones. We want a "vibe." We want something that feels human, even if it's slightly absurd.
Is the Record Unbreakable?
Honestly? Maybe.
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TikTok’s algorithm has changed since 2020. Back then, it was easier for a single video to reach everyone. Now, the app is more fragmented. Your "For You" page is hyper-targeted to your specific interests—whether that’s "Cottagecore," "Taxidermy TikTok," or "F1 drama." Because the audience is so split into niches, it’s much harder for one piece of content to unify the entire global user base.
For a new video to become the most liked TikTok video, it would need to transcend every cultural and linguistic barrier simultaneously. It would need to be as "un-special" as Bella’s was.
The "Bella Poarch Effect" on the Creator Economy
Bella didn't just get likes; she got a career. She leveraged those 10 seconds into a legitimate music career, signing with Warner Records and releasing "Build a Bitch," which actually had a pretty decent message about body image and the pressures of being a woman online. She proved that the most liked TikTok video could be a springboard, not just a fluke.
This changed how brands look at the platform. Suddenly, CMOs weren't just looking for influencers with "prestige." They were looking for "virality." They realized that a person in their bedroom with a ring light could out-reach a Super Bowl commercial.
But there’s a downside.
The chase for likes has led to a lot of "copycat" content. You’ve probably seen it: thousands of creators doing the exact same dance, the exact same face-sync, hoping for that lightning-in-a-bottle moment. It’s created a bit of a "sameness" on the app. When everyone is trying to make the most liked TikTok video, nobody is really making anything new.
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Real Talk: Why You Probably Won't Break the Record
If you’re reading this thinking you’re going to be the next record-breaker, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. You’re competing with history.
- Saturated Market: There are millions more creators now than in 2020.
- Attention Spans: They’re shorter than ever. People "scroll-past" faster than they did three years ago.
- The "Been There, Done That" Factor: We’ve seen the face-syncing thing. It’s no longer novel.
To beat Bella, you’d need something entirely different. Maybe an AI-generated fever dream? Or perhaps a live-streamed event that captures the world's attention in real-time? Whatever it is, it won't be a copy of what's already worked.
Actionable Takeaways for Navigating TikTok Trends
If you're a creator or a brand trying to understand why the most liked TikTok video matters, don't focus on the likes. Focus on the "why."
- Audit your lighting: Bella’s video was crisp. You could see every detail of her expression. If your video is grainy, people keep scrolling.
- Sync is everything: The human brain loves when audio and visual elements align perfectly. Use the "Adjust Clips" tool to ensure your movements hit the "snaps" in the music.
- Keep it short: The record-holding video is under 15 seconds. Don't make people work to get to the "point."
- Don't over-produce: Authenticity is the currency of the app. If it looks like a professional camera crew shot it, TikTok users often treat it like an ad and skip it.
The reality of the most liked TikTok video is that it was a moment in time that can't really be recreated. It was the "Macarena" of the 2020s. It was weird, it was catchy, and it made us feel like we were all part of some giant, inside joke. Bella Poarch might eventually lose her title—nothing lasts forever on the internet—but for now, she’s the undisputed queen of the "like" button.
If you want to see what the next big thing is, stop looking at what worked four years ago. Start looking at the weird, "niche" stuff happening in the corners of the app today. That's where the next record-breaker is hiding.
To truly understand the landscape, your next move should be to study the "Save" and "Share" counts on your own feed. Likes are a vanity metric, but "Saves" tell you what people actually value. Look at your "Analytics" tab and see which of your videos has the highest "Watch Time." That’s where the real growth happens. Forget about 60 million likes for a second—focus on getting 60 people to watch your video until the very last second. That’s how you actually build a community in 2026.