Jennifer Lopez Thanks Both Friends And Enemies In Generation Award Speech

By Sam Manzella


The recipient of this year’s Generation Award has us getting loud.


Jennifer Lopez procured the lifetime achievement honor at the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday (June 5). Nevertheless she is best known for her killer dance moves and hit pop songs, J.Lo is a consummate multi-hyphenate and has acted in several iconic films and television shows over the years.


Accepting the honor in real time at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, a teary-eyed Lopez thanked her supporters, along with those who have discredited her over the years.


“I hope to thank all of the people who notified me As soon as I wasn’t in the room, or some days to my face, that I might never do this,” she mentioned. “I really couldn’t have done this without you.”


The 52-year-old icon also shouted out her children, who she mentioned taught her “to love”; her longtime manager, Benny Medina; and her fiancé, fellow actor Ben Affleck.


Before she was the long-established triple-threat we’ve come to know and love, Lopez first graced our screens as a “Fly Girl” dancer on Fox’s classic sketch comedy series In Living Color, which ran for four seasons from 1990–1994.


Her breakout movie role came by means of the the critically acclaimed 1997 biopic Selena: The <Movie, which made her the initial Latina actress to earn more than $1 million from a feature film. She’s appeared in a couple of memorable movies since, from the 2002 Big Apple romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan to 2019’s star-studded girl-power flick Hustlers.


Lopez most recently starred in the 2022 rom-com Marry Me alongside Colombian singer-songwriter Maluma. Earlier in the night, she also took house this year’s Golden Popcorn for Best Song for “On My Way (Marry Me),” an original song from the pretty flick.


As a newly minted Generation Award winner, Lopez is in good organization. Previous honorees include Scarlett Johansson, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Chris Pratt.


“It’s a honor to connect with audiences,” Lopez added at the end of her acceptance speech, “and because of all of you, I'll continue to do this for as long as I am around. Thank you.”


The 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards are airing live from the Barker Hangar in L.A. Now on MTV, with the Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED to follow. Find all of the winners here.