What is the cc limit?

I think it depends on your computer specs, but wowsa, that is A LOT of cc so I can well believe your game is starting to lag!! I have 4GBs and my (gaming) PC runs very smoothly so far.

I want to know how the heck there is 22GB of cc! But i imagine that amount could well be the reason your game is lagging. I would do a cull, if it were me, and remove anything I don't absolutely love.
I try to keep my cc to 2000 and no more, so once I start going over, I do a cull and remove anything thats broken or i dont like anymore.

No, I'm fully aware of that is why it's lagging so much. I have a habit of downloading a bunch. It's similar to my real life closet. I have a hard time getting ri of clothes/cc because I might use it. I've been widdling it down and trying to catogorize my cc into folders (maxis match, Alpha, this household, ect.) It's a process

I have 10.8GB and I suspect it's starting to slow my game down a lot, currently going through the process of whittling it down too. For reference I do not have a gaming laptop, nor apparently do I have impulse control when it comes to mods.

bro I've got 62.2GB (10,624) and my game is SO SLOW! it takes 45mins to even open

I think it depends on your computer. Some might be fine with @anonmystery's 62.2GB while others might lag and go into, "Ohmygodwhywhywhy?!?" mode with 5GB. I currently don't have any but have had as much as 40GB on with no huge problem other than the expected slow down.

I recommend you create a new Save game first of all. That way, any townies, other Sims etc wearing CC won't be affected. Starting from scratch is always best, and you can save any families you particularly like in your library.

Next, move all your CC to a new folder, out of TS4 directory. Pop your must-have gameplay mods in your new empty Mods folder, like MCCC, NPCC, default skins etc. Now open your game and start playing. Because your game will load so much quicker now, as soon as you start playing and think, "Oh hey I need this hair, or that top," you can grab it from your old Mods folder and it won't take long to get back in game. You'll be surprised what you thought you needed that you never actually use, and you still have it safe 'just in case'.

This is how I whittled 18GB down to just over 1GB.

Once you're happy, grab Sims4Studio and merge the files you want to keep. This will help your game load faster. Then, right click your Mods folder, hit Properties>Advanced>Check Compress contents to save Disk Space>Press OK>Apply and check all files and subfolders. My load time is about 15 seconds from clicking the game in Origin to the main screen.