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TikTok Creator of the Year 2025 Keith Lee pictured on the red carpet alongside his wife Ronni
Keith Lee has won Creator of the Year at the inaugural TikTok Awards in the US.
Hosted by TV personality La La Anthony at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, the fan-voted awards ceremony doled out logo-shaped trophies to content creators on the platform across fourteen categories, including Storyteller of the Year and Live Creator of the Year.
Heiress and noughties icon Paris Hilton, US gymnast Jordan Chiles and former reality TV star Bethenny Frankel were among the presenters.
The ceremony, which took place in front of a live audience and streamed on TikTok and Tubi, happened on the same night TikTok’s Chinese owner agreed to sell its US operations.
Comedian Adam Waheed and lifestyle influencers Kristy Sarah, Alix Earle and Brooke Monk were also nominated in the Creator of the Year category.
Love Island USA star Jeremiah Brown (@findjeremiah) won the Rising Star of the Year award, with Tini Younger (@tinekeyounger) taking home the Storyteller of Year Award. Zach and Pat Valentine (@valentinebrothers) were presented with the TikTok for Good award.
The gong for Video of the Year went to Bretman Sacayanan (@bretmanrock), for a clip featuring its creator and a flock of chickens, with Doechii’s “Anxiety” as its soundtrack.
The ceremony featured performances from R&B star Ciara, and Mr Fantasy, an online persona that many have speculate might be the alter ego of Riverdale actor KJ Apa.
Jeremiah Brown has won the Rising Star of the Year Award.
Mr Fantasy performs onstage during the awards ceremony
The awards were held on the same day that TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors for the majority of its business in America.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.
ByteDance will retain 19.9% of the business, while Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will hold 15% each.
Another 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors.
The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable “over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community”.
