Bill Maher to receive Mark Twain Prize at Kennedy Center after White House denied reports
TV host Bill Maher will receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Kennedy Center announced on Thursday — just days after the White House denied that the comedian would be awarded the honor.
The annual award, which is given by the Kennedy Center, will be presented to Maher on June 28, right before the performing arts center closes for a two-year renovation. The center has faced slumping sales and cancellations from performers in response to President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the institution, which has included a controversial name change.
“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,” Maher quipped in a statement. “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.”
Following reports last week that Maher would receive the Mark Twain Prize, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN, “This is fake news. Bill Maher will NOT be getting this award.”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/26/politics/bill-maher-mark-twain-prize-kennedy-center
It looks like he did end up getting it after all. He was lobbying for the award recently on his podcast Club Random.
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