TikTok hosted its first U.S. Awards ceremony on December 18 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, with food and small-business content creator Keith Lee winning the event’s top honor, “Creator of the Year,” according to Reuters.

“TikTok provided me a platform to be able to show small businesses around the country,” Lee said on stage while accepting his award. “It’s hard to do something for myself, because I always put other people in front of me, but this is for me.”

Bretman Rock won “Video of the Year,” presented by Tefi Pessoa. DJ Paris Hilton received the “Muse of the Year” award for inspiring others. “A muse doesn’t follow trends; we help create them,” Hilton said during her acceptance speech.

Jeremiah Brown, a former “Love Island USA” contestant, won the “Rising Star of the Year” award, presented by e.l.f. Cosmetics as the title sponsor.

Event Format and Distribution

The ceremony streamed live on TikTok’s official account and on Tubi, the event’s official streaming partner. Lifestyle influencer La La Anthony hosted the ceremony. Tubi made the awards available on demand the following day.

Red carpet coverage began at 5 p.m. PT with Dylan Kevitch, Hannah Kosh, and Taylor King serving as hosts and correspondents. The main ceremony started at 6 p.m. PT before a live audience of hundreds of creators.

Additional Award Categories

The ceremony featured awards across multiple content verticals. REI AMI presented “Breakthrough Artist of the Year,” while Tan France presented the “Okay Slay Award for Beauty.” Justin Danger presented the “I Was Today Years Old Award for Education.”

Patrick Starrr presented the “Immediately Added to Cart Award for TikTok Shop.” Carter Gregory presented “CapCut Creator of the Year,” and Ashby Florence presented “Live Creator of the Year.”

The “For Good” award, which highlights activism, went to Zach, a creator with Down syndrome who shares his life to promote inclusion, and his brother, Pat Valentine, who educates audiences about the condition.

Performance and Event Theme

Grammy-winning artist Ciara performed a compilation of songs including “Goodies,” “1,2 Step” and “Level Up.” “There’s nothing like performing for a community that loves movement, music, and expression as much as I do,” Ciara said in a statement before the event.

The ceremony operated under the theme “New Era, New Icons,” recognizing content across fashion, beauty, sports, entertainment, learning, and daily life. The event featured viral moment reenactments, Labubu dolls launched from a T-shirt cannon, a giant selfie challenge, and skits.

The U.S. Awards joins TikTok’s global awards series, which operates in Korea, Japan, Australia, Brazil, and other markets. TikTok reports reaching 170 million users in the United States.

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