NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
MTV Movie Awards: Melissa McCarthy becomes first woman receive Comedic Genius Award
BY JAMES DESBOROUGH, ETHAN SACKS
Sunday, April 10, 2016, 2:08 AM
Melissa McCarthy celebrated her honor from MTV like a rock star.
“The Boss” actress crowd-surfed to the stage to collect her Comedic Genius Award from MTV Movie Awards co-hosts Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson, high-fiving fans along the way.
McCarthy has earned the right to ham it up as the first female comedian to be bestowed with the honor.
“I may be the first woman to receive this award but am not certainly certainly not the first one to deserve it,” she told the audience during Saturday night’s taping of the awards ceremony that will air on the music network Sunday.
“I am a walking human patchwork of other remarkable funny women who I loved and studied over the years,”
She then name-checked inspirations, including Carole Burnett, Teri Garr, Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Lucille Ball, Tracey Ullman and Bette Midler.
She saved the most important one for last: “My mum Sandy Lynn McCarthy taught me not to fear being the butt of the joke or told me not about being likeable or perfect and to lovingly go for the kill,” said McCarthy.
“And I have been stealing from these amazing women and so many people are here tonight that I could add to the list.”
McCarthy earned the honor for a career that ranged from TV’s “Gilmore Girls” and “Mike and Molly” to comic films like “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat.”
She thanked “every single person who buys a ticket for my movie and watches my show.”
McCarthy closed with a shoutout a different Boss: “Who knew Bruce Springsteen could get even cooler,” she said, referencing the rocker’s decision to pull out out his scheduled gig Sunday night in Charlotte over North Carolina’s new anti-LGBT law.
I love Melissa McCarthy! I first saw her in “Mike & Molly”, then a movie and now…WOW! She’s a whole new person!