A TikTok Food Critic with 16M Fans Is Now a Texan
Keith Lee, the wildly popular food critic with more than 16 million TikTok fans — who was recently parodied on Saturday Night Live — just dropped some major news: He’s moved to Texas. On Saturday afternoon, he took to TikTok to share the life update. “It’s official. The cat is out the bag. We was gonna try to keep it a secret, but ... it ain't a secret no more,” Lee announced. “Me and my family live in Texas.”
Welcome, Keith! We’re not so great on bodily autonomy or civil liberties, but we do have some incredible eats.
Lee, who formerly lived in Las Vegas, didn’t reveal why he moved his family to Texas — or where they’re living. He said they’ll be out exploring new Texas eateries over the next month.
A former mixed martial artist, Lee has blown up as a food critic in recent years, getting featured in high profile outlets like The New York Times.
https://www.tiktok.com/@keith_lee125/video/7432817581351882014
He has also historically expressed love for the Lone Star State. Last month, he stopped by the State Fair of Texas, where he raved about a brisket sandwich, giving it an impressive 8 out of 10 on his scoring metric.. Turns out, Lee’s a big fan of Houston, too. Of the eight cities he visited in 2023, he named it one of his favorite spots, second only to New Orleans. In his rave, Lee said there wasn’t a restaurant in Houston that he didn’t love. So maybe he’s in Space City?
Regardless, Lee’s relocation is definitely good news for restaurants in Texas. Positive reviews from Lee have led to floods of new business, in what some have dubbed the “Keith Lee Effect.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@keith_lee125/video/7317869883008552222
