Keith Lee wins top prize at first TikTok Awards in US
Keith Lee named Creator of the Year as inaugural US TikTok Awards unfold amid ByteDance U.S. restructuring
Keith Lee was named Creator of the Year at the inaugural TikTok Awards in the United States, held Thursday at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. The fan-voted ceremony, hosted by TV personality La La Anthony, recognized top creators across fourteen categories. Lee, who attended with his wife Ronni, posed on the red carpet ahead of the event.
The show was streamed live on TikTok and Tubi, and featured a slate of presenters including Paris Hilton and U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles. Trophies were logo-shaped, awarded across categories such as Storyteller of the Year and Live Creator of the Year.
Lee's category of Creator of the Year drew a field that included comedian Adam Waheed and lifestyle creators Kristy Sarah, Alix Earle and Brooke Monk.
Jeremiah Brown, known as @findjeremiah on Love Island USA, was named Rising Star of the Year, while Tini Younger collected Storyteller of the Year. Bretman Sacayanan, known as Bretman Rock, won Video of the Year for a clip that featured a flock of chickens, set to Doechii's Anxiety. Zach and Pat Valentine received the TikTok for Good award.
Ciara performed during the ceremony, and Mr Fantasy — an online persona some fans have speculated might be Riverdale actor KJ Apa — also took the stage.
The awards took place on the same day ByteDance said it had signed binding agreements with U.S. and global investors to take the majority of its business in America. Under the deal, ByteDance would own 19.9% of the U.S. TikTok business; Oracle, Silver Lake and the Abu Dhabi investment firm MGX would own 15% each, with 30.1% held by existing ByteDance affiliates. The agreement is expected to close on Jan. 22 and would end years of U.S. security concerns over the app.
Correction 19 December: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Bethenny Frankel was among the presenters.
Mr Fantasy performs onstage during the awards ceremony.
Analysts say the awards highlight TikTok's expanding role in entertainment as the company restructures its U.S. footprint.