Jennifer Lopez was awarded the Generation Award at the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday (June 5th).  The award, which “celebrates beloved actors whose diverse contributions to both film and television have turned them into household names,” includes past recipients like Scarlett Johansson, Dwayne Johnson, and Reese Witherspoon.

The actress began her speech saying, “I look at those movies and see all the wonderful people that I’ve been blessed to know and to work with. You’re only as good as the people that you work with. And if you’re lucky, they make you better. And I have been very lucky in that regard.”

She added: “And since you cannot create truth unless you’ve really lived it, I have a different kind of list of thank-yous tonight. I want to thank all the people who gave me this life. I want to thank the people who gave me joy. And the ones who broke my heart. The ones who were true and the ones who lied to me. I want to thank true love. And I want to thank the way that I lied to myself, because that’s how I knew that I had to grow. I want to thank disappointment and failure for teaching me to be strong and my children for teaching me to love. I want to thank all the people who told me to my face or when I wasn’t in the room that I couldn’t do this. I really don’t think I could have done it without you! And I know I couldn’t have done it without the fans.”

Lopez apologized for “get[ting] emotional,” adding, “You guys know me. It’s an honor to be able to connect with audiences — connect with you guys. And because of all of you, I will continue to do justice to that honor as long as I am around. I love you. Thank you so much.”