TikTok Awards 2025 Announces Headliner And Watch Guide

TikTok will really swing for the fences in an attempt to transform the For You Page into a live spectacle with the inaugural U.S. TikTok Awards, a show designed to honor all the creators, trends and cultural moments that defined the app. Organizers announced the headliner, host, full presenter slate and how to watch, confirming a slick crossover from short-form feeds to a complete awards stage at the Hollywood Palladium.

When And How To Watch The TikTok Awards 2025 Live

The red carpet livestream takes place at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET on TikTok LIVE, while the main ceremony kicks off at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET simulcast on TikTok and Tubi, the official streaming partner.

If you can’t catch it live, the entire show can also be streamed on-demand on Tubi. The show is set at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, a venue well accustomed to music-forward broadcasts designed to keep spirits up on camera.

Headliner And Host For The Inaugural U.S. TikTok Awards

GRAMMY winner Ciara is the headline performance, and she’s sure to bring a choreography-first show; practically guaranteed for repeat viewings on social. Her catalog — including “Level Up” and early-2000s staples — has been dance-language on TikTok for ages, and producers are capitalizing on that muscle memory with a selection of signature hits created for the camera and crowd.

La La Anthony will host, a clear sign that the show seeks to bridge demographically between creators and mainstream audiences.

Anticipate taut pacing, creator-directed bits and moments designed for instant clipping, stitching and remixing — it’s in the show’s DNA to be shareable at TikTok tempo.

Presenters And Notable Categories For TikTok Awards 2025

The awards play to what TikTok does well: speed up music, commerce and creator-driven education. Presenters range from digital-native stars and cross-platform names:

• REI AMI will present Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
• Tan France will present the beauty-focused Okay Slay Award.
• Tefi Pessoa will present Video of the Year.
• Justin Danger Nunley will present the I Was Today Years Old Award (looking at edutainment).
• Patrick Starrr will present the Immediately Added to Cart Award connected with TikTok Shop.
• Carter Gregory will present CapCut Creator of the Year.
• Ashby Florence will present Live Creator of the Year.

A reflection of how brands are becoming co-authors of culture on TikTok, e.l.f. Cosmetics comes on as a title sponsor and will present the Rising Star of the Year category. The theme — “New Era, New Icons” — emphasizes how a creative’s power can take off on mobile and have an outsize impact, peeling back pop culture trends from beauty to fashion to music to sports and entertainment.

Red Carpet Team And Creator Correspondents Announced

The livestreamed arrivals will showcase creator correspondents designed for live banter and viral snippets: Dylan Kevitch, Hannah Kosh and Taylor King.

Anticipate quick-hit interviews, trend call-outs and more than a few moments placed specifically to leap natively from the carpet into viewers’ For You Pages within minutes.

Why This Show Matters For Creators, Brands, And Fans

TikTok has emerged as a kingmaker in music discovery and creator-driven commerce. The app has more than 150 million monthly users in the U.S., and Pew Research Center found that one-third of U.S. adults are using it, while usage is soaring among 18–29-year-olds in particular, with some 43% signing up to the platform. For artists, it’s a dynamic — TikTok-fueled moments leading directly to streaming spikes and chart action — that labels and the Recording Academy have begun acknowledging in the past few cycles.

The category design speaks to a larger narrative about the ecosystem. CapCut — TikTok’s editing app, used by creators and brands alike — is now getting its own award, one that highlights the craft behind what appears effortless in the feed. The TikTok Shop category codifies social commerce as a central behavior, not an add-on, in keeping with recent analyst reports from entities like eMarketer and WARC that map out brisk growth of U.S. social shopping usage.

And working with Tubi, it can also extend its reach. The Gauge by Nielsen has repeatedly cited Tubi as the leader among free, ad-supported streamers that captures a chunk of total TV usage. That makes the TikTok-to-TV handoff smoother for viewers looking for a lean-back experience with no subscription barriers — and it gives advertisers a premium live moment in an ad-supported environment.

What’s Happening On The Night: Performances And More

Producers promise creator-built segments and surprise cameos and performances that double as cathedrals of TikTok trend fuel. The format is built for instant replay: super-quick transitions, vertical-friendly staging and tight camera choreography that’s meant to look as good on a phone as it does on a living room screen. If history is any guide, you can expect meme-by-morning reaction shots and at least one clip that spins off into a challenge or audio trend before the show signs off.

Quick Watch Tips For Streaming The TikTok Awards 2025

Follow the official TikTok account to see the red carpet, and then visit the main feed or open the Tubi app at showtime. Don’t forget to turn them on, charge your device, and, for a performance you’re less interested in, maybe go ahead and cast it to the TV while keeping your phone working for those live comments and saves. If you’re too busy to watch on Saturday night, Tubi’s next-day on-demand broadcast will feature the full replay.