The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles served as the glittering backdrop for TikTok’s inaugural US Awards ceremony, where content creator Keith Lee claimed the prestigious Creator of the Year honor. The event, hosted by television personality La La Anthony, recognized platform talent across fourteen distinct categories through a fan-voted process.
Amid the celebratory atmosphere, the ceremony unfolded concurrently with significant corporate developments as TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance finalized agreements to transfer majority control of its US operations to a consortium of American and international investors. This strategic move, set for completion on January 22nd, resolves prolonged national security concerns raised by Washington policymakers.
The awards presentation featured an array of celebrity participants including Paris Hilton, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, and business personality Bethenny Frankel as presenters. Performance segments showcased R&B artist Ciara and the enigmatic online persona Mr. Fantasy, widely speculated to be actor KJ Apa’s alternate identity.
Other notable recipients included Jeremiah Brown (@findjeremiah) as Rising Star of the Year, Tini Younger (@tinekeyounger) for Storyteller of the Year, and the Valentine brothers (@valentinebrothers) who received the TikTok for Good award. Bretman Sacayanan (@bretmanrock) secured Video of the Year honors for his creatively choreographed piece featuring poultry and the musical track “Anxiety” by Doechii.
The ownership transition arrangement specifies that ByteDance will maintain 19.9% stake in the US operations, while Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX will each control 15%. The remaining 30.1% will be distributed among existing ByteDance investor affiliates, establishing a new governance framework for the popular social media platform.