Jennifer Coolidge is only the second woman to win an MTV Comedic Genius Award — the first was Melissa McCarthy in 2016. The 61-year-old blonde bombshell took the stage at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday, May 7th to accept the landmark honor — and of course, threw out a few hilarious quips to prove why she deserved it.
You’re everything, @JENCOOLIDGE 💗 Give it up for our 2023 #MTVAwards Comedic Genius Award recipient!!! pic.twitter.com/ZihZ8vzny8
— MTV (@MTV) May 8, 2023
“The reason why I’m so thrilled, it’s just ironic that this award would be made of my favorite food, popcorn,” she quipped. Jennifer notably paid tribute to the writers of Hollywood amid the ongoing strike. “I stand here before you tonight side by side with my sisters and brothers from the WGA, that are fighting right now, fighting for the rights of artists everywhere. And I think of the words of Shakespeare where he once said ‘the play is the thing.’ Well, I don’t want to put words in his mouth or anything, but I think what he really meant was, it’s EVERYTHING.” Fans were there for the comments in solidarity with the WGA, and commended Jennifer via social media.
Jennifer also paid tribute to her fellow Comedic Genius Award winners, including Melissa McCarthy, Sacha Baron Cohen, Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black. “Now I get to be in the club with them, my god, what a fun night,” she said. She finished the remote acceptance speech with — what else — a spirited little dance. Jennifer looked stunning for the moment, wearing a black dress and styling her blonde locks in soft curls.
The iconic White Lotus star has certainly earned the high-profile achievement. The actress, who stars in the HBO hit as bereaved socialite Tanya McQuoid, rose to fame with roles in Legally Blonde and American Pie, among others. She’s also been a beloved mainstay in the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest, including Best in Show, For Your Consideration, and A Mighty Wind.
MTV’s announcement about the award hailed the actress as “supernaturally funny.” “As Tanya McQuoid, she graced both seasons with a presence both flighty and sympathetic,” the statement said. In an August 2022 interview, Guest gushed over the actress, recalling how she stood out. “No one else acts the way she acts,” he told Variety at the time. “I don’t mean acting as an actor. I mean behaves the way she behaves.”
“When I met her, I knew there was something going on that was special,” the director continued. “And I was right, fortunately.” He also touched on her masterful White Lotus performance — awkward, painful, hilarious. “This person stands out,” he said. “Everyone else to me is invisible. I’m not grinding any kind of axe, I’m just saying — you want to see her.”
Jennifer herself certainly hasn’t been egotistical about her remarkable talents. “Maybe you’ve gotten a glimmer of confidence that was somehow convincing for a moment, but I feel like most of my life, I just really didn’t know what I was doing,” she told Vogue in 2021 of her ever-rising career, in part. “There were so many years where I was sitting around. I didn’t have the confidence to really go after something. I was insecure. I sort of just sat around hoping that someone thought I might be good for a bigger part. And, look, a lot of years went by.”
Those years ultimately yielded to a very big one for Jennifer. She took home a Golden Globe for the role in January, and a Primetime Emmy Award in September of 2022. She memorably danced to the music meant to signal her to wrap up her speech during her hilarious Emmy acceptance.