Keith Lee takes home ‘creator of the year’ trophy

Keith Lee won the 2025 Creator of the Year trophy at the US TikTok Discovery Awards.

On December 18, the 29-year-old social media star took the stage at the Palladium Theater in LA to accept the honor.

“I never in a million years thought I’d be standing on this stage,” Lee said as he picked up the trophy.

Keith, known for his food critique videos, has 17 million followers on TikTok.

“This means more to me than I can explain,” he said as he shared a story about growing up shy.

“TikTok has given me a platform to be able to talk about that,” he added.

Keith concluded by thanking his wife Ronni for helping him get started on the forum.

To honor Keith’s success, host LaLa Anthony announced that “In the spirit of our new creator of the year, Keith Lee, TikTok will contribute 50,000 to America’s Feed.”

“Keith Lee has used his influence to help other citizens facing food shortages, and TikTok is honored to contribute to the cause,” shared LaLa, according to the statement. People magazine.

Keith beat social media stars Alix Earle, Adam W, Brooke Monk and Kristy Sarah for the award.

For those unfamiliar, the 2025 TikTok Awards took place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 18.