The Fresh Prince still got it! Will Smith jokingly referred to himself as the “Karate Kid’s dad” while accepting the Generation Award at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards on Saturday, April 9.
Coming to the stage after The Lonely Island performed his hits including The Fresh Prince theme, and pals Queen Latifah and Halle Berry paid tribute to him, Smith, 47, told the audience that when he first heard about the lifetime achievement award, he “thought that was code for old-ass dude award.”
The Concussion star then detailed how a kid fan once ran up to him screaming, “Oh my god, I don’t know who you are!”
Only when the multi-hyphenate performer explained that he was the “Karate Kid’s dad” did the fan reply back, “Oh, my god, that’s Jaden’s dad!”
Over the years, Smith has starred in numerous blockbuster hits, including Men in Black, The Pursuit of Happyness, Hitch, Independence Day and Ali.
“So this is coming at the right time for me,” Smith told the crowd as the awards show aired on MTV on Sunday, April 10. “I released my first record at the age of 17 and I’m 47 years old now, so this June marks 30 years in this business for me … I’m dedicated ’till I die to light and to love.”
These days, Smith’s kids Jaden, 17, and Willow, 15, are creating careers of their own. In addition to costarring with Will in The Pursuit of Happyness, Jaden has also starred in The Karate Kid, After Earth, and now appears in TV series The Get Down.
Willow, meanwhile, dropped surprise debut album Ardipithecus last December.
Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith made headlines this past awards season by boycotting the Oscars over the lack of diversity in this year’s nominees.
