The 2005 MTV Movie Awards was hosted by Jimmy Fallon. A special award, the Silver Bucket of Excellence, was presented to the 1985 film The Breakfast Club. Also, Tom Cruise was presented with the first-ever MTV Generation Award. Neither of these two special awards were voted upon by the public. The awards were also marked by Nine Inch Nails' decision to pull out because MTV refused to let them perform using as a backdrop an unaltered image of President George W. Bush. Frontman Trent Reznor commented, "apparently the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me". Foo Fighters replaced them. Anchorman and Mean Girls were the most nominated films, each receiving 4 nominations.

James Thomas Fallon is an American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. Best known for his work in television, Fallon's breakthrough came during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2004. He was the host of the late-night talk show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014, and became the anchor of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon following his departure from Late Night.