As TikTok users countdown to what may be their final days with the app, content creators like Keith Lee are reflecting on the impact the social media platform has had on their lives. For Lee, the virality of his food reviews changed not only his life but also the lives of several business owners across the country.
Beyond opening the doors for new opportunities and brand deals, the food critic says his TikTok journey has helped him see “a huge, remarkable progress” in the way he deals with his depression and social anxiety.
“I believe TikTok has played a pivotal role in that, and the people of TikTok, I’m forever thankful for them,” Lee told People magazine.
Lee has been very open about his mental health and the work it took for him to be where he is today. In an appearance on “Club Shay Shay” with Shannon Sharpe, the food critic opened up about his long battle with depression, which once led to a suicide attempt.
“I was in a very deep dark depression, to a place where nothing mattered anymore,” Lee explained, reflecting on the situation.
Though his father was able to save him from what likely would have been a successful suicide attempt, Lee shared his ongoing battle with intrusive thoughts. Even in milestone moments, like becoming the first person in his family to be a homeowner, the viral food critic says survivor’s guilt sparked a deep depression.
“It put me in a pretty deep depression. Survivor’s guilt; survivor’s remorse of feeling like it’s gonna be snatched away. Feeling like, yes I have it, but how long do I have it for? It’s definitely trauma. I had to sit and question, ‘Why am I in this house with my family and with the people that love me, and I feel alone?’”
“It’s one of those things where it’s like, you don’t believe you earned it, and you don’t believe you’re worthy enough of it or for it, but other people and God [deem] you worthy enough,” he continued, explaining how his family helped him emerge from the darkness. “What really changed it for me and brought me outta depression, my daughter just learned how to ride a bike for the first time. I’m teaching her in the backyard how to ride the bike…And I’m just watching her roll in this field of grass, and I was like, ‘You did it, man.’ It’s not many times in my life I’ve been proud of myself, and I had to sit back and be like, ‘I’m proud of me, man.’”
Ultimately, Lee says his wife Ronnie and daughters Karter and Riley keep him grounded.
“Without them, I don’t believe that I would be able to cope as much as I do or have as many tools to improve on it as I have,” he added.
Just as Lee describes his family as his saving grace, the food critic has been a saving grace for many business owners across the country. With over 16 million followers on TikTok, Lee’s positive food reviews have become known to boost sales and traction for small businesses, so much so that it is now referred to as the “Keith Lee Effect.”
Recalling how one owner’s son thanked him for playing “a pivotal role in his dad seeing his dream before he passed away,” Lee emphasized the importance of practicing gratitude.
“That’s intangible, and I believe that’s something that can’t be put into words and that can’t be expressed other than just saying I’m thankful for it,” he said. “It makes me be thankful for every part of life that I’ve been able to experience.”
