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

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.

‘Harry Potter’ series has ‘serious security’ because of racist death threats against Paapa Essiedu

This week, HBO executive Casey Bloys revealed the network prepared for negative reactions to the casting of the actors in the upcoming “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” series. Actor Paapa Essiedu, who is Ghanaian-English, recently shared that he’s been subjected to racist abuse and death threats after being cast as Severus Snape.