Amy Schumer

After directing Amy Schumer in Trainwreck, Judd Apatow has first-hand knowledge that she's the "perfect comedian for this moment."

So perfect, he joked, that the Critics' Choice Awards "made up" the MVP Award to give to her solely so she would make an appearance Sunday at the star-studded event in Santa Monica, California.

Luckily, he followed it up with a sincere tribute, giving praise to Schumer's highly successful year.

"Who's had a bigger year than Amy Schumer ever? Has it ever happened?" he said. "What did she do this year, you might wonder? She had an HBO special, an arena tour, she hosted Saturday Night Live, she hosted the MTV Movie Awards, she opened for Madonna, she fell on the carpet in front of Kimye."

"She was nominated for a DGA, WGA, People's Choice Award, Golden Globe," he continued, adding, "She won a Peabody, an Emmy, a Critics' Choice."

"What did J.J. Abrams do this year?! So he made a movie that's the biggest-grossing movie of all time," he joked about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. "That's one movie, J.J., OK. You're slacking. Amy was the writer and the producer and the star of Trainwreck -- it was her first movie! And she's the creator and the star and writer of Inside Amy Schumer, which cranks out brilliant sketch after brilliant sketch, it really is remarkable."

In closing, Apatow said that Schumer, 34, is the "nicest person" he knows. "She's hysterical and bold and courageous, and the perfect comedian for this moment."

Schumer -- who is the second actress to be named an MVP, following Jessica Chastain's honor last year -- didn't hold back in her acceptance speech, thanking everyone that's been a part of her journey over the years, including those she fired.

"I really do want to thank the critics and I mean it," she began, after introducing herself as "plus, plus size actress Amy Schumer."

"I want to thank Guy Oseary and then the other managers that I've fired, Jimmy Miller, Itay Reiss, Derek Van Pelt. Thank you, but I thought I could make slightly more money with someone else and so I went to them," she said, adding, "And Guy Oseary, I will also do that to you."

She also poked fun at the highly-publicized photo of her posing nearly naked on a chair with coffee, shot by Annie Leibovitz, for the 2016 Pirelli Calendar.

"This is where I get really brave," she explained, sarcastically.

"That's what you want everybody to say when a naked photo of you goes viral, you want them to say: 'What a brave photo.' Like wow, thanks. Thank you."

She concluded her speech with a shout-out to her new beau, Ben Hanisch, and a message reminding viewers of the importance of gun control, an issue she's been vocal about ever since a tragic shooting took place inside a movie theatre that was screening Trainwreck in Lafayette, Louisiana, in July.

"We can end gun violence together," she said. "Thank you."

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