It’s actually kind of wild. If you spend any time on the app, you’ve probably seen it a thousand times, but the most liked video on TikTok isn't some high-budget cinematic masterpiece or a world-changing news event. It’s just Bella Poarch. She’s bobbing her head. She’s making faces to a catchy song. That’s it.
People always ask me why. How does a 10-second clip of someone basically just existing in front of a camera beat out every other creator on the planet?
Honestly, the answer is a mix of perfect timing, the "uncanny valley" of face-tracking filters, and a rhythm that’s weirdly hypnotic. As of early 2026, Bella Poarch’s "M to the B" video still sits at the top of the mountain with over 66 million likes. For context, that is more than the population of most European countries. It’s a massive outlier that changed how we think about "viral" content forever.
The Viral Anatomy of the Most Liked Video on TikTok
The video was posted on August 17, 2020. Think back to that time. Everyone was stuck inside. We were bored. TikTok was transitioning from a niche lip-syncing app for teens into the global juggernaut it is today.
Bella Poarch used a face-zoom filter. It’s a simple tool that keeps your face centered while the camera moves. But she used it with a level of precision that felt almost robotic. She hit every beat of Millie B’s "Soph Aspin Send" (the actual name of the song). It wasn't just lip-syncing; it was a performance of micro-expressions.
One second she’s cute, the next she’s crossed-eyed, then she’s smirking. It’s fast. It’s bouncy.
The algorithm absolutely ate it up. Because the video is so short, the "completion rate"—the metric TikTok cares about most—was nearly 100% for almost every viewer. In fact, many people watched it five or six times in a row just to see if she was actually human or some kind of CGI. That high watch time signaled to the app that this was the "perfect" piece of content, pushing it to every "For You" page on the planet.
Why Nobody Has Beaten It Yet
You’d think in the years since 2020, someone like MrBeast or Khaby Lame would have knocked her off the top spot.
Khaby came close. His silent "common sense" roasts have racked up tens of millions of likes, and he actually surpassed Bella in total followers. But the most liked video on TikTok is a specific crown. MrBeast has the budget, the stunts, and the global reach, yet his most popular clips usually hover in the 40-50 million like range.
There is a psychological threshold here.
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Bella’s video represents a specific moment in internet culture that can't really be recreated. It was the "Big Bang" of the modern TikTok era. Today, the feed is crowded. There’s too much noise. In 2020, we all looked at the same thing at the same time. Now, the algorithm is so personalized that you might never see what your neighbor is watching. This fragmentation makes it incredibly hard for a single video to gather the 60+ million likes needed to challenge the record.
The "M to the B" Song Factor
We have to talk about Millie B. The song itself is a "grime" track from 2016, originally part of a beef between Blackpool rappers in the UK.
It’s objectively a bit "cringe" if you take it seriously. But that’s why it worked. It had this aggressive, rhythmic energy that paired perfectly with Bella’s head bobbing. The contrast between a tiny, seemingly innocent girl and a gritty British diss track was a classic TikTok trope: subverting expectations.
The Numbers Behind the Fame
If you look at the stats, the gap between Bella and the rest is narrowing, but slowly.
- Bella Poarch: 66M+ likes.
- Jamie Big Sorrel Horse: Roughly 52M likes (the "Say So" dance in the bathroom).
- Franckieleon: Around 51M likes (drawing a colorful face).
- Nick Luciano: About 50M (the "SugarCrash!" lip-sync).
Notice a pattern? Most of these are from 2020 or 2021. The "Golden Age" of the massive like count seems to have peaked. Nowadays, a video that gets 10 million likes is considered a massive, global success. To hit 60 million, you don't just need a good video; you need a cultural phenomenon.
Misconceptions About TikTok Likes
A lot of people think likes are the only thing that matters. They aren't.
I’ve seen videos with 20 million likes that drove zero sales or long-term followers for the creator. Bella Poarch, however, turned those likes into a legitimate music career. She signed with Warner Records and released "Build a Bitch," which actually became a hit. This is the rare case where the most liked video on TikTok actually built a sustainable brand.
Usually, "like-bait" videos—those satisfy-inducing clips of someone cutting soap or dropping things into vats of acid—get millions of likes but nobody remembers the creator's name ten minutes later. Bella became a celebrity.
Also, it’s worth noting that "likes" don't always equal "views." Some of the most viewed videos on the platform (like Zach King’s magic tricks) have billions of views but "only" 10 or 12 million likes. People watch him for the spectacle, but they don't always hit the heart button. Bella’s video was specifically designed to be liked. It was cute, it was impressive, and it was short enough that hitting "like" felt like a natural part of the loop.
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The Evolution of the TikTok Algorithm
Back when Bella blew up, the algorithm was much more "centralized." If a video started doing well in the US, it was immediately shoved into feeds in India, Brazil, and Japan.
Today, the algorithm is much more sophisticated—and more siloed.
If you like cooking videos, your "For You" page is 90% food. If I like tech, mine is 90% gadgets. This makes it almost impossible for a single video to achieve "universal" status again. We are living in the age of niches. Bella Poarch’s reign is likely to continue simply because the platform has evolved away from the "one-size-fits-all" content model that allowed her to explode.
What This Means for New Creators
If you’re trying to go viral today, don't try to copy the "M to the B" formula. That ship has sailed.
The most liked video on TikTok is a historical artifact at this point. If a new creator tries to do the exact same head-bobbing thing today, they’ll get accused of being a "Bella Poarch clone" and ignored.
The lesson here isn't "do what she did." The lesson is "use the tools of the moment." In 2020, that tool was the face-zoom filter. In 2026, it might be AI-integrated effects or interactive AR filters.
Success on TikTok comes from finding a new way to use a common tool that makes people stop scrolling for at least three seconds. Bella didn't invent head-bobbing; she just did it with a specific timing and a specific filter that nobody else had mastered yet.
Authenticity vs. Production
There’s a huge debate about whether high-production videos will eventually take the top spot.
Personally? I doubt it.
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The charm of TikTok is its "lo-fi" feel. Bella’s video was filmed in a bedroom with average lighting. It feels accessible. It feels like something you could do. That’s why people engage with it. When a video looks like a Super Bowl commercial, our brains tend to filter it out as an "ad," even if it isn't one. The most liked videos are almost always the ones that feel the most human, even if that "human" is doing something a little bit weird or robotic.
Strategies for Engagement in the Current Era
If you want to chase those massive numbers, you have to understand the current "Like-to-View" ratio.
A healthy ratio is usually around 10%. If you have 100 views, you want 10 likes. Bella’s video has a staggering ratio because the "re-watch" factor is so high.
To maximize likes in today's environment, focus on:
- The Loop: Make the end of the video flow seamlessly back into the beginning. This tricks the algorithm into thinking the viewer is watching it multiple times.
- Micro-Expressions: Just like Bella, use small movements. High-energy jumping around is exhausting to watch. Subtle, clever movements keep people focused.
- Audio Choice: Don't just pick a "trending" song. Pick a song that has a "beat drop" or a specific rhythm that matches a visual action.
- The First Two Seconds: If you don't hook them by the time they see your face, they are gone. Bella’s video starts with her already in motion. There is no "intro."
The Future of the Leaderboard
Will Bella ever be dethroned?
It’s possible, but it would likely take a major global celebrity doing something incredibly unexpected. Think BTS doing a viral challenge or a world leader doing something genuinely hilarious.
But for a random creator to rise up and hit 70 million likes on a single video in 2026? The odds are slim. The platform is just too big and too divided now. Bella Poarch remains the queen of TikTok not because she’s the "best" creator, but because she was the right person, with the right face, at the right time.
To really understand the impact, look at the comments on that video today. You’ll see people from 2020 reminiscing about "quarantine vibes," and new users from 2025 wondering why it’s so famous. It has become a digital landmark.
If you’re serious about growing your presence, stop looking for a "viral hack" and start looking for a "re-watchable moment." Analyze your own watch history. What videos do you watch twice? What made you actually tap the heart instead of just scrolling? Usually, it’s a moment of genuine surprise or a rhythm that feels good in your brain. That’s the "Bella Poarch effect" in a nutshell.
Move forward by focusing on high-retention storytelling rather than just chasing a high like count. High retention leads to more views, which eventually leads to the likes you’re looking for. Check your analytics for the "average watch time" and try to get that number as close to the actual length of the video as possible. Once you master the "loop," the algorithm will do the heavy lifting for you.