Bill Maher on getting the Mark Twain Prize for humor: ‘Like an Emmy, except I win’

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Just like the story of Pinocchio becoming a real boy, something previously dismissed as false is now true: Bill Maher will receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, becoming the 27th honoree.

The White House refuted a report from The Atlantic last week claiming Bill Maher was likely to receive a Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2026, an award previously given to Conan O’Brien and Kevin Hart. The prize has been awarded to comedians almost every year since 1998. The Kennedy Center, which President Trump renamed after himself and is scheduled for a two-year renovation starting July 4th, prompted the White House’s quick response to the report.

Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, dismissed a story published by The Atlantic as “completely false” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also told the publication that the story was untrue, specifically denying that Bill Maher would receive the award mentioned.

Awards

Trevor Noah’s closing remarks at the Grammys included jokes about Nicki Minaj, Jelly Roll, Justin Bieber, and Jeff Bezos.

According to a White House source, initial claims that a report from The Atlantic was “fake” are no longer accurate, as the situation has changed in the past six days, People reported on Thursday.

Whether you pronounce it ‘tomato’ or ‘to-mah-to,’ Bill is receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Previous winners include comedy legends like Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, George Carlin, Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey, and Dave Chappelle.

Bill Maher didn’t immediately react on social media, likely saving his thoughts for his HBO show, “Real Time With Bill Maher,” which airs Friday, or his podcast, “Club Random.” However, he released a playfully sarcastic statement on Thursday through a Kennedy Center press release, joking, “Thanks to the Mark Twain folks. I just learned what the award is, and it seems like an Emmy… except I actually won it.”

Bill Maher’s show has been nominated for an Emmy Award 22 times between 2004 and 2024. These nominations include 13 for outstanding variety series, and the remaining for writing, directing, or Maher’s individual performance. Despite all these nominations, the show has never won. To put that in perspective, Susan Lucci famously lost 18 Daytime Emmy Awards before finally winning on her 19th attempt – and then lost two more times after that!

Entertainment & Arts

President Trump announced plans to temporarily close the Kennedy Center for two years, beginning in July, to allow for construction work.

The comedian added, “It’s really an honor to have something named after someone who was banned from so many school libraries, just like Mark Twain.”

The Mark Twain Prize has honored top comedic talent for almost thirty years,” said Roma Daravi, a spokesperson for the Kennedy Center. “And Bill [Murray] has been shaping American conversation – often through jokes that push boundaries – for even longer.”

Bill Maher, known for his liberal views and criticism of Republicans, surprisingly gained respect from conservatives recently when he began sharply criticizing extreme left-wing ideas just as much as he criticized those on the far right. This reached a peak when he accepted an invitation to dine with Donald Trump at the White House last spring, causing a strong reaction from many people.

Bill Maher revealed on his show, “Real Time,” that he had dinner with President Trump twelve days prior. He explained that the meeting was arranged by a friend, Kid Rock, because they both felt constant criticism from a distance wasn’t productive.

Television

Bill Maher, host of HBO’s “Real Time,” is known for being sharply intelligent and incredibly thorough in his work.

First of all, it’s absurd to think of our meeting as a formal negotiation or summit. I have no authority to make deals – I’m just a comedian, and he’s the world’s most powerful leader. I don’t lead anything, except maybe a group of reasonable people who believe we can find a better way to govern this country than constantly fighting with each other.

Maher revealed he brought a list of nearly sixty insults Trump had directed at him over the years, hoping to get the former president to sign it. Trump actually agreed! Maher then shared stories from their meeting, including some quick-witted responses he’d made, and told his audience that Trump seemed “much more self-aware than he appears in public.”

I always felt relaxed and able to be myself around him. Even though I previously voted for Clinton and Obama, I surprisingly found it easier to have open and honest conversations with Donald Trump. That’s just the way our interactions were, and I’ll leave it at that.

Bill Maher will receive the Mark Twain Prize at a special event on June 28th. Netflix will stream the event later, though the exact date hasn’t been announced yet.

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2026-03-27 02:32