Jada Pinkett Smith To Receive the ‘Trailblazer Award’ for Having a ‘Fresh and Fearless Voice’

Jada Pinkett Smith will receive the Trailblazer Award at this year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards, which “recognizes game-changing creators with fresh and fearless voices in entertainment.”

She’s also being honored for conquering film, television, music and now social media with her extremely popular “Red Table Talk” series.

“Jada has been a powerhouse since the beginning of her career and has achieved multi-hyphenate status throughout,” said MTV’s general manager Amy Doyle. “She is the epitome of someone who is not afraid to challenge the status quo, and we are thrilled to present her with this year’s ‘Trailblazer Award.'”

Most first laid eyes on Pinkett Smith in the early ’90s when she played the tough-acting Lena James on the NBC sitcom “A Different World.” But she really became known for her acting chops in popular films like “Menace II Society,” “Jason’s Lyric” and “Set It Off.”

In fact, according to IMDb, the Baltimore native has been working pretty consistently from 1990, when she appeared in the fox sitcom “True Colors,” all the way to present day.

Pinkett Smith also fronted her own heavy metal band called Wicked Wisdom several years ago and toured in 2004 and 2005. Next, she’ll play an FBI agent in the film “Angel Has Fallen,” scheduled to be released in August.

And as far as “Red Table Talk,” it’s safe to say the veteran actress reinvented her brand, as people have gushed about the series, which she stars in with daughter Willow Smith and mother Adrienne Banfield-Jones.

So far, the trio has covered a slew of hot-button topics. Plus, old beefs have been settled, like when Pinkett Smith interviewed former foe Gabrielle Union, and she’s also given intimate details about her marriage to husband Will Smith.

The Trailblazer Award will be presented to Pinkett Smith by her “Girl’s Trip” co-star Tiffany Haddish when the MTV Movie & TV Awards airs on June 17 at 9 p.m. EDT. 

The writer and show creator Lena Waithe received the award last year.

Back to top