Bill Maher Awarded the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize Despite White House Controversy

Bill Maher to Receive Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Bill Maher has been named the recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, with a ceremony scheduled for June. The announcement comes after initial uncertainty regarding the award, which was reported by The Atlantic last week. Following that report, White House Communications Director Karoline Leavitt dismissed the idea, calling it “literally fake news.” This denial was made despite President Donald Trump, the Kennedy Center’s chairman, having previously expressed frustration towards Maher, whom he had dined with last year.

On Thursday, the Kennedy Center confirmed Maher will indeed receive the prestigious honor. Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, commented, "For nearly three decades, the Mark Twain Prize has celebrated some of the greatest minds in comedy. For even longer, Bill has been influencing American discourse — one politically incorrect joke at a time."

In response to the accolade, Maher expressed his gratitude, stating, “Thank you to the Mark Twain people: I just had the award explained to me, and apparently it’s like an Emmy, except I win. I’d just like to say that it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who’s been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain.”

The award ceremony will take place on June 28, just ahead of the Kennedy Center’s two-year renovations. The event will be streamed on Netflix, although a specific date for the airing has yet to be announced.

Leavitt had publicly claimed the previous week that Maher would not be receiving the award. However, a White House official clarified on Thursday that the earlier denial was based on erroneous reporting, noting that discussions between the Trump-Kennedy Center and event organizers had since evolved.

Last year’s Mark Twain Prize was awarded to Conan O’Brien, who was selected before Trump assumed control of the center and reshaped its board with his loyalists.

While Maher and Trump shared a dinner last year, arranged by Kid Rock, Maher has continued to use his platform to critique the former president, even as he has gained a following among conservatives for addressing liberal overreach. Trump remarked in a recent post about the dinner, "It was a total waste of time for me to have this jerk at the White House."