Keith Lee takes top prize at first TikTok Awards in US
Getty ImagesKeith Lee won the Creator of the Year award at the inaugural TikTok Awards in the United States.
Hosted by television personality La La Anthony at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, the fan-voted awards ceremony awarded logo-shaped trophies to the platform’s content creators in fourteen categories, including Storyteller of the Year and Live Creator of the Year.
Heiress and 2000s icon Paris Hilton, American 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 was streamed on TikTok and Tubi, took place the same evening that TikTok’s Chinese owner agreed to sell its U.S. operations.
Comedian Adam Waheed and lifestyle influencers Kristy Sarah, Alix Earle and Brooke Monk were also nominated in the Designer of the Year category.
Love Island USA star Jeremiah Brown (@findjeremiah) won Rising Star of the Year, while Tini Younger (@tinekeyounger) won Storyteller of the Year. Zach and Pat Valentine (@valentinebrothers) received the TikTok for Good award.
The Video of the Year award went to Bretman Sacayanan (@bretmanrock), for a clip featuring his creator and a flock of chickens, with Doechii’s “Anxiety” as the soundtrack.
The ceremony included performances from R&B star Ciara and Mr Fantasy, an online persona who many believe may be the alter ego of Riverdale actor KJ Apa.
The awards came on the same day that TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, signed binding agreements with U.S. and international investors for the majority of its operations in America.
Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and 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 each hold 15%.
An additional 30.1% will be held by subsidiaries of existing ByteDance investors.
The deal, expected to close on Jan. 22, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its U.S. operations over national security concerns.
In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable “more than 170 million Americans to continue to experience a world of endless possibilities within a vital global community.”
