Amy Schumer's Critics' Choice Speech Was Amazing

To say that 2015 was Amy Schumer's year would be an understatement. The Oscars may have snubbed her (seriously, what's up with that?), but she's unstoppable in both the film and TV worlds. When Schumer was presented with the Critics' Choice MVP Award on Jan. 17, the standing ovation she received was proof that everyone in the room agreed that Schumer couldn't have been more deserving of this honor. Judd Apatow asked, "Who's had a bigger year than Amy Schumer?" and it was clearly a rhetorical question because the answer is no one. And, Amy Schumer's Critics' Choice acceptance speech couldn't have been more perfect — it struck the right balance between sweet and snarky, and she concluded with an important message about gun violence.

When she took the stage, Schumer immediately admonished the audience to sit down because "you're gonna resent me if you have to stand." She started out by being the self-deprecating comedienne we know and love, and playfully joking about how, prior to Trainwreck, she was just doing shows at comedy clubs and "begging for half-price wings." She expressed her disbelief at all her successes in 2015 and it was both sweet and genuine. When Schumer directly addressed the critics, it was an emotional moment for her that summed up what it must be like to be in this highly competitive and often brutal field:

I felt very seen and heard by you guys, and understood. Sometimes with everything going on, you're like 'this is stupid and a waste of time' and then someone would write something and I'd realize they get what we're doing.

Schumer called out sexism in Hollywood in a perfect and tactful way — she got her point across, but it was humorous rather than bitter: "If you're an actress and you have 'this area' right here, you have to write your own stuff if you wanna get it made."

But, Schumer saved her most moving statement until the very end of her speech — and, since she had time to plan ahead, it seemed like a deliberate move because the message was so important: "I want to thank Mayci Breaux and Jillian Johnson who died in Lafayette because a mentally ill person got their hands on a gun. But we can end gun violence together."

Bravo to Amy Schumer for all her accomplishments this year, and for using her platform to bring attention to such an important issue.