EXCLUSIVE: Korean-Australian creator Jiny Maeng is having a surprisingly calm week, which is not what you’d expect to hear from someone nominated for Creator of the Year at the 2025 TikTok Awards.
The Awards are happening Wednesday, live on both on TikTok and Stan and hosted by Australian Icon and Love Island Australia host Sophie Monk.
The 2025 TikTok Awards will broadcast live on TikTok and Stan from 6PM AEDT, November 26 and available on demand on Stan.
“Honestly speaking, I am surprised how not anxious I am,” Maeng tells 9Entertainment with a laugh.
“Maybe on the night I’ll start getting nervous, but I’m just… very excited. That’s everything I’m feeling right now.”
Korean-Australian creator known for her candid takes on culture, identity and food is nominated for the 2025 TikTok Awards Creator of the Year. (Stan)
With more than 2.1 million followers, Maeng has built a community known for its warmth, cultural curiosity and love of food.
But she says her creative world has expanded. “I’m tuning in to a lot of what I actually enjoy,” she explains. “Food is still my number one, but I’ve thought about what else I’m passionate about like travelling, culture, fashion.”
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It’s a huge night for Australian influencers and creators. The 2025 TikTok Awards have already smashed records, with 6.4 million votes cast, that’s more than three million more than last year.
Celebrating Australia’s top creators across comedy, culture, family, and lifestyle, the 2025 TikTok Awards Creator of the Year nominees are Ilai Matangi, Jiny Maeng, Ben Stubbs, Latisha Clark and Tammy Hembrow (Stan)
The Creator of the Year category alone drew more than 2.1 million votes, making it one of the most fiercely contested awards in the show’s history.
And yet, Maeng is steady. Present. Grateful. Not bad for someone who once questioned whether content creation could ever be a “real” job.
“I remember talking to my best friend,” she says. “I was like, is it even possible to post videos and call that work? So the fact that I’ve been nominated as Creator of the Year in Australia, to be recognised as an Australian and as a creator, it’s like a double whammy. Like, crazy. Didn’t expect that.”
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The 2025 TikTok Awards aren’t Maeng’s first whirlwind. Last year, the creator walked the awards journey closely with best friend to Bridey Drake, who ultimately won the 2024 Creator of the Year.
“Bridey actually sat me down and was telling me, you know, it’s gonna be stressful, but I’m here for you like you were for me last year,” Maeng recalls. But her own lead-up last year was rocky. “I talked about this on my channel. I was just not in the right mindset. I thought there was so much pressure on me, and I was stressing about the unknown.”
Everything changed when she started making videos again.
“Once I started being creative with the other nominees… I realised, wait, this is fun. You’re supposed to enjoy this process. It should be a celebration of how far we all came as creators rather than something to be stressed about.”
Jiny Maeng with fellow Food nominee Tom Smallwood on TikTok. (TikTok)
Bridey Drake may be last year’s winner, but in Maeng’s world, nothing has changed.
“She has definitely not changed,” Jiny says. “She’s a very words-of-affirmation person. I am not. So she’s comforting me, like, ‘Jiny, you’ve got this!’ She’s the nicest, most supportive friend you could ever ask for.” When asked what would happen if Maeng cried on stage, her answer is peak best-friend comedy: “I’ve told Bridey, ‘Can you slap me if I cry? Or can you do my speech if I cry?’ She’s like, no.”
2025 TikTok Creator of the Year Nominee Jiny Maeng with 2024 TikTok Creator of the Year Winner Bridie Drake at the premiere of the Stan Original Series Love Triangle Season 3. (Stan)
This year’s TikTok Awards are hosted by Sophie Monk, which Maeng admits she only recently discovered.
“She followed me on Instagram first and I was like, oh, this is exciting. I’m not too tuned into reality TV, so I just want to ask her about her experience being on sets like that. Even though we’re both in entertainment, our categories are so different.”
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Maeng is looking forward to offering fans and followers a simple message: “A big thank you. I try to really show that I am so honestly thankful and grateful. I don’t know how many other ways I can express it, but thank you so much for the support and the love. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
Sophie Monk is the host of the 2025 TikTok Awards. (Stan)
What winning would mean Maeng didn’t shy away from explaining the deeper significance of the moment. “I was doing a bit of research,” she says. “I was searching for if there were any Australians with an Asian background who have won. So far… none. Only nominees.” Becoming the first would be “a big honour,” she says.
“As a Korean Australian, a proud Aussie, to win this massive award would be a very honourable moment. A very big deal.”
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This year’s TikTok Awards promises a massive lineup, with performances from: Keli Holiday, nominated for Music Creator of the Year Larissa Lambert, Billboard’s Rookie of the Year Jude York, whose ABBA cover broke hearts worldwide Blake Pavey, one of Australia’s most-loved comedians Presenters include Cody Simpson, Karl Stefanovic, Sarah Abo, Courtney Act, Harry Garside, Osher Günsberg and more.
The Pink Carpet Preshow, hosted by Elle Ray and Mitch Churi, kicks off from 6pm AEDT.
You can watch the 2025 TikTok Awards live on TikTok and Stan, with full replay available on demand.
And if you see Maeng at the event: “Please come say hi if you see me! I might be a bit everywhere, so I might not be able to be human, but it’ll be a crazy night.”
The 2025 TikTok Awards will broadcast live on TikTok and Stan from 6PM AEDT, November 26 and available on demand on Stan.
