Food critic and content creator Keith Lee was awarded with the highest honour of the 2025 TikTok Awards. Recognising the 29-year-old's significant contributions, the social media platform named him the “Creator of the Year” at the inaugural ceremony. The event was hosted by lifestyle influencer La La Anthony. Let's find out what is Keith Lee's net worth.
Keith Lee's net worth
One of the internet’s popular personalities, Keith Lee's net worth was over $4 million as of 2024, according to media reports. According to Forbes.com, brand deals with colossal corporations like Chipotle, Pepsi and Hyundai contributes to his income flow. His wealth is generated from various sources, including ad revenue, brand deals, merchandise sales and live appearances. Significant revenue stream can be attributed to TikTok food reviews, Instagram brand endorsements, YouTube partnerships and MMA background.
American Express partnered with food critic Keith Lee to announce a new $5 Million Amex Shop Small Grants Program on 29 November to support the 16th annual Small Business. To help small businesses across the US grow and innovate it partnered with Main Street America.
'I doubted myself,' says Keith Lee
Paris Hilton presented the award to the internet sensation who is commonly known as "Killa." The popular food reviewer, who highlights small businesses shot to fame as a Las Vegas based food taster, after his local restaurant reviews gained traction online. He first started posting cooking videos and family content in November 2020. Eventually, his followers on TikTok surged and currently he boasts a vast army of 17 million followers.
Listed on Mashable's 101 most influential creators of 2025, the Las Vegas based food taster began making TikToks to help combat his anxiety with public speaking. From Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles Atlanta and Houston to New York, Lee travelled to several places to review local restaurants, giving preference to Black-owned and family-owned restaurants.
The former MMA fighter expressed gratitude to the TikTok community and said that the platform had helped him to unlock a voice he previously found difficult to find.
During his acceptance speech, Lee said, "When people say they didn’t think they were going to win, that’s not an understatement," adding, “I never in a million years thought I would be standing on this stage.”
He further noted, "I couldn’t talk. I couldn't be in rooms with people. I doubted myself. I still doubt myself to this day," Lee said. “TikTok allows people to spotlight the underdog,” Mashable reported.
Celebrating the significant achievement, he remarked, “It's hard to do something for myself, because I always put other people in front of me, but this is for me,” AP reported.