Keith Lee was honored with the Creator of the Year award at the first-ever U.S. TikTok Awards.
According to Reuters, the ceremony took place in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palladium on December 18 and recognized creators in several categories, such as food, fashion, sports, education, and entertainment. The awards show was streamed live on both TikTok and Tubi.
Lee’s content, which frequently features small businesses and incorporates family narratives, was honored with the top award following a year of videos that generated consistent real-world influence.
“This means more to me than I can explain,” Lee said while accepting his award, according to Variety. “I was just a kid sitting in a PAW Patrol chair that started recording because I was a professional fighter who was nervous in front of cameras and couldn’t talk. I couldn’t be rooms with people. I was a nervous wreck who always doubted myself.”
Lee also acknowledged the platform’s vital role in his work, stating that TikTok “provided me a platform to be able to show small businesses around the country.”
Lee continued, “It’s so hard for me to do something for myself because I always put other people in front of me. But this is for me.”
The awards ceremony featured several notable winners in addition to Lee. Bretman Rock was honored with Video of the Year, and Paris Hilton received the Muse of the Year award in recognition of her significant inspiration and influence on the platform.
Another standout was Jeremiah Brown, a former Love Island USA contestant, who was named Rising Star of the Year, recognizing his growing presence and engagement on TikTok.
The ceremony also recognized creators leveraging the platform for inclusion and advocacy. The “For Good” award was presented to Zach, a creator with Down syndrome who promotes understanding by sharing his daily life, and to his brother, Pat Valentine, who uses the platform to educate viewers about the condition.
La La Anthony hosted the event, which fully embraced TikTok culture. Attendees experienced a lively atmosphere with interactive challenges, skits, and reenactments of viral moments. The visuals were extravagant, featuring large elements like Labubu dolls being launched into the crowd from a T-shirt cannon.
In regard to his philanthropic works, Lee recently took action to help vulnerable families affected by the SNAP benefits shutdown’s impact. He recently started an initiative to ensure individuals relying on it continue to have food.
Lee, who has been open about his personal history, shared that when he first began posting videos on TikTok, he was filming meals he prepared for his wife using food stamps and gift cards he received. At that time, the food influencer managed his struggles with social anxiety by preparing meals, engaging in conversations, and distributing food to those in need.
“How was I buying that food to make meals for the less fortunate? On food stamps and gift cards that people was giving me,” he explained in a TikTok video.
Lee then called on the brands he has collaborated with on social impact initiatives to join him in his effort to provide free meals to those facing food insecurity.
He said at the time, “I refuse to take any money. I don’t want no money. I don’t want no nothing. I don’t want no partnership when it comes to this,” he said in a TikTok video. “I want this to be specifically about the families we feeding and the holidays, that we making the holidays and the families that we able to take care of. That’s all I care about.”
SOURCE: ace2faceafrica.com