Washington, D.C. - Comedian Bill Maher has been selected to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, the venue said on Thursday. The award ceremony is set for June 28, just ahead of the center's planned closure in July for a two-year renovation.
Maher, 70, has led HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher since 2003, a weekly program that mixes guest interviews, commentary on current events and social issues, and a standup-style monologue. The Kennedy Center said the June ceremony will be streamed on Netflix, with the specific streaming date to be announced.
The comedian has frequently criticized U.S. President Donald Trump. In February, Trump posted on social media that he regretted inviting Maher to a White House dinner and called him "a highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT" and a "jerk." The White House did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether Trump was involved in Maher’s selection for the prize or about his reaction to the announcement.
Following the announcement, Maher issued a brief statement thanking "the Mark Twain people." He also quipped that he had just had the award explained to him and that it was "like an Emmy, except I win." Maher has received more than 40 Emmy nominations over his career and has one Emmy win, which he earned as a producer of the news program Vice.
The Kennedy Center itself has been the subject of actions by Trump intended to reshape aspects of national cultural institutions. He has renamed the arts center the Trump Kennedy Center and appointed a new board to oversee it. The planned closure in July will begin a two-year renovation period for the center.
Context and ceremony details
The Mark Twain Prize event on June 28 will take place before the center’s scheduled temporary closure and will later be made available on Netflix. Previous recipients of the Mark Twain Prize have included well-known comedy figures such as Conan O’Brien, Carol Burnett and Tina Fey.
What Maher said
Responding to the honor, Maher offered a concise expression of gratitude to the award's organizers and made a self-deprecating remark about learning what the prize entails, referencing the award in a playful comparison to an Emmy.
Implications
The announcement places Maher among a list of prominent recipients of the Mark Twain Prize. The ceremony’s timing, immediately before the Kennedy Center’s renovation closure, and the planned Netflix stream mean the event will reach a national audience beyond attendees in Washington.
Note: This article contains only the facts released in the Kennedy Center announcement and statements attributed directly to Maher and to public posts referenced in the announcement.