Kennedy Center to honor Bill Maher with Mark Twain Prize

Bill Maher took the Kennedy Center Concert Hall stage on Sunday to receive the 27th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, a recognition that landed inside a venue still working through a fight over Donald Trump’s influence and name on the building. The program was set to premiere exclusively on Netflix, with the streaming date still to be announced.

The honor marked the latest entry in a prize lineage that began in 1998 and skipped 2020 and 2021. Maher, 70, has hosted HBO’s Real Time for more than 20 years after fronting Politically Incorrect, and the Kennedy Center said he has collected 42 Emmy nominations. The center also said he would receive the prize’s traditional bronze bust of Mark Twain, an award created by Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz and John Schreiber.

Maher’s selection briefly sparked a public scramble after the White House initially dismissed reports of the win as “literally FAKE NEWS.” The Kennedy Center later confirmed the award on March 26, 2026. Maher responded on air that he “respects” Trump for trying to block the honor and later described their history as a “complicated relationship” that reached back to the 2013 orangutan-lawsuit episode.

The ceremony came as the Kennedy Center’s identity was being rewritten in public view. In late May, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the board acted illegally when it voted to add Trump’s name to the venue, saying only Congress can change the center’s name. By mid-June, workers had removed Trump’s name from the building’s exterior after the court order, and the same legal fight blocked the center’s plan for a two-year renovation closure.

The gala also reflected the broader upheaval around the arts institution after Trump ousted previous leadership, installed a handpicked board and pushed the center into his campaign against what he calls “woke” culture. Performers including Issa Rae, Bela Fleck and Renée Fleming canceled planned appearances. For Maher’s event, the center said guests were expected to include John Mellencamp, Jay Leno, Whitney Cummings, Woody Harrelson, Arianna Huffington, Stephen A. Smith and Louis C.K., while ticket packages ranged from $99 to $1,500 and higher for better seating and receptions.