MTV Movie and TV Awards: The 10 Standout Moments
By Christi Carras
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – MTV award shows are known for contributing some of the most shocking water cooler moments in television history, and the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards were no exception.
Tiffany Haddish set the tone for the show as the night’s host, opening with a parody of Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow,” during which she swapped the rapper’s lyrics for lines like, “If I’m flying on the zip line, then you know I gotta pee,” in reference to her infamous “Girls Trip” scene, and “got six movies just this year what bitch works as hard as me?”
She took a break from singing to address the night’s attendees, calling best villain winner Michael B. Jordan “so sexy you could probably get a girl pregnant right there on eyesight” and comparing the Kardashians to the “Star Wars” franchise (“They have a ton of money, a new one’s always popping up I don’t know where, and they’re ruled by a bossy overlord who always sleeps in a mask, and she loves black men!”)
But Haddish’s opener was just the beginning of a night full of comical interludes, emotional acceptance speeches, and political statements. Check out the full list of standout moments below.
Millie Bobby Brown Denounces Bullies
Brown wasn’t physically present to accept the performance in a TV show award for her work on “Stranger Things” due to an injury. But she still made an acceptance video in which she called out bullies in the wake of her decision to leave Twitter because of online harassment. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, just don’t say it,” she said. “There should be no space in this world for bullying, and I’m not going to tolerate it.”
Olivia Munn and Michael B. Jordan Throw Shade at Roseanne
Nominees and presenters didn’t shy away from addressing controversial topics, and ABC’s recent “Roseanne” cancellation took the spotlight not once, but twice over the course of the show. While presenting the award for best hero, Munn gave a shout-out to real world heroes, including “that guy who fired Roseanne,” and Jordan called out Roseanne Barr directly during his best villain acceptance speech. “I’m shocked that I won this award for best villain,” Jordan joked. “I thought for sure Roseanne had that in the bag.”
Chadwick Boseman Dedicates His Award to the Waffle House Hero
While accepting the award for best hero for playing T’Challa in Marvel’s “Black Panther,” Boseman invited honorary attendee James Shaw Jr. to the stage to thank him for protecting civilians against a gunman who opened fire at a Tennessee Waffle House in May. “Come on up here,” Boseman said, brandishing his golden popcorn trophy. “This is gonna live at your house. God bless you, man.”
The McQueen Dress Strikes Again
Once again, Haddish redefined what it means to be an outfit repeater by wearing her white Alexander McQueen gown that has become a fashion staple for the comedian. Since she debuted the ensemble at the “Girls Trip” premiere, the dress has made multiple reappearances, including on “Saturday Night Live,” at the 2018 Oscars, and now at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. “Welcome back, and welcome back to my Alexander McQueen dress one more time,” Haddish joked after a commercial break in the broadcast.
The McQueen dress wasn’t the only noteworthy look Haddish sported for her hosting duties. Throughout the show, the comedian cycled through multiple iconic costumes, including an Audrey Hepburn getup from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” the green drapes from “Gone With the Wind,” and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding dress. “She’s from my hood — I had to represent,” Haddish said about Markle, who grew up in Los Angeles.
“Love, Simon” Wins Best Kiss
Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome were the second male couple (following Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal’s win in 2006 for “Brokeback Mountain”) to win best kiss for a same-sex kissing scene in “Moonlight.” This year, same-sex love triumphed again for Nick Robinson and Keiynan Lonsdale, who took home the award for “Love, Simon.” “If you can live your dreams and wear dresses, you can live your dreams and kiss the one that you love, no matter what gender they are,” Lonsdale said during his speech.
Jordan Asks Fans to Stop Making Boseman Say “Wakanda Forever”
Jordan’s best villain acceptance speech was full of soundbites, including a request to fans to stop asking Boseman to recite “’s” most famous tagline. “Chadwick Boseman personally asked me to ask y’all to stop asking him to say ‘Wakanda Forever’ out on the streets,” Jordan joked. “Y’all taking the ‘forever’ thing a little too seriously.” The comment harkened to the “tired of Wakanda” memes picturing an unenthused Boseman throwing the Wakanda sign.
All of Haddish’s Video Interludes
Multiple digital shorts broke up the night’s festivities, each featuring Haddish in scenes from blockbusters like “Black Panther,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and “A Quiet Place” (renamed “A Dark-Ass Place” in the clip). Whether she was introducing her “Girls Trip” castmates to Wakanda or flirting with a brooding Kylo Ren, Haddish’s comedic cameos drew many laughs from the audience.
Chris Pratt’s “Nine Rules”
Pratt received a standing ovation after accepting this year’s generation award. The “Jurassic World” star gave a lengthy acceptance speech, in which he listed “nine rules” for the audience, ranging from advice on how to poop at parties to religious commentary on God and salvation. “God is real; God loves you. God wants the best for you,” Pratt said. “Believe that — I do.”
Seth Rogen Flashes a Vin Diesel Tattoo
To present the award for best comedic performance to Haddish, Kristen Bell and Rogen prepared a comedic performance of their own by showing each other their new tattoos. Bell donned an avocado on her cheek, while Rogen flashed a lower-back tattoo of Diesel’s face. “It’s all about family,” Bell said in her best Diesel impression while squishing the ink.
“Black Panther” Wins Best Movie
“Black Panther” became the first film with a primarily-black cast to win best movie, and the significance was not lost on its stars. “It’s incredible when the stereotype is that people of color couldn’t bring y’all out to the theater and be able to make these types of films,” Jordan said while accepting the award. “The fact that we’re able to do this on this scale with this movie, this project, means the world to us.”
