Justin Timberlake Gives Moving Teen Choice Awards Speech

(Radio.com) Justin Timberlake accepted The Decade Award at the Teen Choice Awards Wunday night, where he delivered a powerful and inspiring speech to the young people watching in the crowd and at home.

Despite being only 35 years old, Timberlake could have received the award last decade too, as he began starring in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club at the young age of 12 in 1993, and broke onto the music scene with his hugely successful boy band, *NSYNC, only two years later.

JT connected to young viewers right off the bat by talking about his former teen years. 'As a former teen, who's made a few choices along the way, I'm here to tell you that you and your choices matter." Then, Timberlake got a little more personal, 'I grew up in Millington, Tennessee, just outside of Memphis, where I was blessed to be raised by parents and a family that who taught me some big lessons.

"They taught me to respect them, they taught me to respect myself, and to respect all people on the basis of their character. Not where they live, not what did they did for a living, or the color of their skin. My parents did their best to fill my young mind not with prejudice or hate but with compassion and love. The truth is we are all different, but that does not mean we all don't want the same thing," he later added. Check out Justin's full speech here.