“Will Smith and MTV have grown up together and share a very cool history,” said executive producer Casey Patterson. “MTV was a part of every phase of Will’s career and he has been a huge part of what defined the MTV culture from the beginning. From TV’s The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, to his music and amazing movies, Will is the voice of a generation and not afraid to use it. The 25th anniversary of the ‘Movie Awards’ is the perfect year to honor #BIGWILLIESTYLE as only MTV can – with lots of big surprises in store.”
Per MTV, the Generation Award is given to an actor “who creates an amazing body of work throughout their career that speaks directly to the MTV audience.” Smith joins a list of Generation Award winners that includes Robert Downey Jr., Mark Wahlberg, Jamie Foxx, Johnny Depp, Reese Witherspoon, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Sandra Bullock, Mike Myers, Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey.
Central Intelligence stars Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart are hosting this year’s awards show which will take place on the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, CA. The 2016 MTV Movie Awards will be executive produced by Casey Patterson, Garrett English and Jane Mun.