Past recipients of the award Sandra Bullock, Tom Cruise and Reese Witherspoon.
Jennifer Lopez will be honored with the Generation Award during the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards hosted by Vanessa Hudgens, it was announced on Friday. According to the network, the award “celebrates beloved actors whose diverse contributions to both film and television have turned them into household names.” And for Lopez -- the ultimate multihyphenate -- that’s a 30-year-long career that has spanned TV, film, music and fashion after first appearing on In Living Color as a Fly Girl dancer.
As one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, Lopez’s movies have earned over $3 billion at the worldwide box office while she has sold over 75 million records. She most recently starred in the 2022 romcom, Marry Me, and is set to open the 2022 Tribeca Festival with the world premiere of Halftime, an upcoming Netflix documentary about her stunning 2020 Super Bowl Halftime performance.
In addition to the Generation Award, MTV previously honored the icon with the Video Vanguard Award in 2018. While accepting that career distinction, she said, “It has been a crazy journey, dreaming my dreams and watching them come true… This career has always been kind of an obsession for me.”
Past recipients of the Generation Award include Scarlett Johansson, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Pratt, Will Smith, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Wahlberg, Sandra Bullock, Jamie Foxx, Johnny Depp, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey and the entire Fast & Furious franchise.
“I have a deep love for her because she played my mom in Second Act. So, I always think of her as family,” Hudgens told ET’s Lauren Zima about her adoration for Lopez, explaining that “she’s really kind and caring. Like, granted she played my mom, so of course she’s going to be extremely kind and caring with me. But she’s such an icon and she doesn’t really shy away from who she is. She lets it really all shine. And she does so in a way that’s exciting and graceful.”
The host added, “She’s such an icon and she just keeps on going. I don’t know anyone who works harder than she does. And I just really admire her workforce, but also just her and what she is to the world. I adore her.”
In addition to the award, Lopez is also nominated for Best Song for “On My Way (Marry Me)” from Marry Me.
The one-night event will kick off live from Barker Hangar on Sunday, June 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards will be immediately followed by the Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED, hosted by Tayshia Adams beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
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