At first, the seams sometimes showed through. TikTok Awards will take place Thursday night at the Hollywood Palladium and stream live on TikTok and Tubi.
But the producers, presenters and winners achieved success with a few hiccups. The event wasn't taken too seriously at first – with awards in such cheeky categories as “Instantly Add to Cart”, “My Show Is Starting” and “CapCut of the Year” – and a full house of creators and influencers enjoyed the colorful atmosphere of a fabulous time together on the famous Sunset Boulevard.
Numerous winners have noted the importance of TikTok in their professional and personal lives, whether it's used to build a business, build confidence, or express creativity. Several winners received a translucent award in the shape of the TikTok logo while holding their phones.
New Orleans-based TikTok user Keith Lee took home the top prize for Creator of the Year. He has 17.3 million followers on TikTok for his family-friendly posts on food, culture and lifestyle. The husband and father of three is creating a larger lifestyle brand called Familye.
“This means more to me than I can explain,” Lee said as he accepted the award. He told the crowd that he started making TikTok videos to overcome his shyness.
Mariah S. Rose, a sports and lifestyle influencer who hosts Hoops for Hotties, was named Most Valuable Player of the Year. It was presented to the kudo by Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles. Rose is the daughter of former NBA star Jalen Rose.
The first TikTok Awards ceremony, held in the US, started almost an hour late due to a malfunction of the LED screens on the Palladium stage. The ceremony, in fact, was a traditional award presentation – it was even opened with a dance number and a satirical song about the events of 2025. The room was uneasy due to the lack of video clips demonstrating the work of the nominees, although the audio recording of each clip was broadcast. The video clips were broadcast live without interruption.
The ceremony was hosted by La La Anthony. A ton of TikTok personalities are participating as speakers and nominees. Popular TikTok member Ashby made a guest appearance, teaming up with K-pop Demon Hunter voice star Rei Ami to fire a “Labubu gun” into a seated crowd on the floor of the iconic Sunset Boulevard.
“I hope you signed the waiver,” Ashby said as she fired Labubus.
Other speakers included Trixie Mattel and “The Bachelor” alum Chelsea Vaughn.
Among the winners were Paris Hilton in the “Muse of the Year” category. Hilton was ready to accept the TikTok logo prize. She thanked “all my little Hiltons.”
Hilton assured the crowd of flamboyantly dressed creators and influencers: “You don't need permission to be iconic. Just come, shine bright and don't forget that everyone is a princess.”
An hour into the presentation, a large video screen briefly came to life to reveal a video image of the TikTok Awards logo set to the soundtrack of Coldplay's “Yellow.” But he still couldn’t play the nominees’ videos.
The crowd was undeterred by the technical snafu. Cheers and cheers rang out from various sections of the nominees' support.
(Pictured: TikTok Award winner Mariah S. Rose)
