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Filipino-American content creator, Bretman Rock, paid tribute to his Filipino roots and recalled his humble beginnings as YouTuber with a small following, to being a multi-awarded social media star.

Bretman was an award winner for the Digital Influencer category at the recent Unforgettable Gala's 20th Annual Asian American Awards in Beverly Hills, California.

As he accepted his trophy from beauty guru Michelle Phan and fellow Fil-Am content creator Bella Poarch, Bretman gave a speech which lightly started with an explanation about his injured lips.
Jokes aside, Bretman shared his gratitude for the recognition, "Thank you so much Character Media, thank you to all of you for being here tonight...thank you for giving me a sense of belonging."

Bretman recalled watching Filipino TV shows as a child even until he moved to the U.S. when he was seven. He said, "Everything I absorbed on TV was Filipino people...I was always seeing myself on TV."

He continued to say, “All of that just to say how grateful I am for my generation to have so many options when it comes to expressing our creativity. We don't only have TV, we don't only have movies, we have YouTube and TikTok--in long and short formats. Like girl, our possibilities are endless.”

Bretman concluded his speech with a promise to always stay an authentic Filipino. "If there's one thing I can finish off with my speech, because it's getting long, I feel like I have the longest speech tonight...it's just that I promise I'll always be myself. I'll always be gay as hell, Filipino as hell."

Bretman was described by the award-giving body as admirable, "for being his true self and outspoken for the API and LGBTQ communities as he encourages his millions of followers and beyond to be their best selves without fear of judgment."

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The Filipino-American internet star and makeup artist is also scheduled to release his first memoir called “You're That Bitch & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself.”

Born as Bretman Rock Sacayanan Laforga in Cagayan to an Ilocano family, he moved to Hawaii at the age of seven and eventually acquired a Filipino-American citizenship through naturalization.

He rose to online fame in 2016 after one of his contouring videos went viral. In 2017, he was recognized by Time magazine as one of the 30 Most Influential Teens. In 2020, he launched his own makeup collection in collaboration with Wet n' Wild Cosmetics. In 2021, he starred in his own MTV reality show, MTV Following: Bretman Rock. He also became the first openly gay person to appear on the cover of Playboy magazine.