After more than 20 years away from the podium, former MTV host Simon Rex made his return engagement holding down the house for this year’s film-focused IndieWire Honors. On December 5 at Citizen News in Los Angeles, Rex kicked off a night honoring Jennifer Lopez, Denis Villeneuve, Selena Gomez, and more with a raunchy speech that put a darkly comedic speed on current Hollywood instability.
“We’re here to celebrate 13 incredible people who remain committed to making independent and original storytelling,” Rex began. “The main reason I’m here is that is that my agent can’t say no to anything.”
Rex famously agreed to star in Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” (2021) without telling his management — an experience the actor elaborated on in-conversation with IndieWire ahead of the event. During his opening monologue, Rex offered the audience a choice between “good news” and “bad news.” The crowd unanimously agreed to accept the bad first.
“Look, the bad news is that Hollywood is in a very precarious place these days,” said Rex. “It’s a strange time we’re in. People are getting laid off left and right. I miss the days when people were just getting laid, period.”
He continued, “Everyone’s operating from a place of fear, and that’s not a good thing for the arts, but the good news is that movies like the ones we’re celebrating here tonight are still being made.” Rex made his way to Hollywood on a steady stream of sitcoms and “Scary Movie” sequels, but credits Baker with his resurgence as an actor in the indie film scene.
“Some of you may not know who I am — and that’s OK,” said Rex. “Neither do I. I’ve been trying to figure that out with my therapist for the last 20 years.” He then joked that he was hosting in the middle of his first-ever experience with Ayahuasca. “You people all look really weird,” Rex said.
The unapologetic anchor for the evening went on to quip about the event’s name (“I think we should name the IndieWire Awards ‘The Rexies!’”) and recommended the Oxtail balls before ending on an earnest note.
“There are no losers here tonight, only winners,” said Rex. “We should all be grateful to be in this room.”
Watch Rex’s full speech above, and check out all of our IndieWire Honors coverage right here.
