Channeling his Shazam! character in a red suit, host Zachary Levi used his opening monologue at the MTV Movie & TV Awards to poke fun at celebrities but also empower young viewers..
Levi started off with an awards show monologue trope of jokes about nominees. “Sandra Bullock is nominated for Bird Box, quite literally the cant’s see movie of the year,” he said of Netflix’s horror hit featuring blindfolded Bullock.
On the TV side, “Ray J is here from Love & Hip Hop, although I’m sure you’re all more familiar with his work as a cameraman,” Levi said to some groans.
He then went on to address MTV’s young viewers.
“A lot of you out there might think that only the coolest of the cool people get invited here, and a lot of you would be wrong,” Levi said before showing a photo of himself in a high-school production of Bye Bye Birdie.
“I was the spazziest drama nerd that ever was and guess what, I still am, y’all. Everyone in this room kind of is because behind all the fame and fortune, the followers, the glam squads are a bunch of nerdy artists, and they are making all the cool sh*t that we are celebrating tonight.”
Levi went on to show awkward pictures of young Dwayne Johnson, Kumal Nanjiani and Dave Bautista before wrapping his speech.
“If you are like 14-year-old me, and you are sitting at home watching this, thinking maybe you will love yourself one day if you can finally be someone here, stop doing that and start loving yourself right there right now,” visibly emotional Levi said. “That will change your life and that will change the world. I guarantee that.”
Watch his monologue below and follow the winners here as they are updated live:
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