The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts will present
The 27th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Bill Maher
Prize Will Be Awarded at the Trump Kennedy Center at a Gala Performance on June 28, 2026
Washington, D.C. — The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts will present the 27th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Bill Maher on June 28, 2026 in the Trump Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The Prize, which is named to honor one of the world’s greatest humorists, will be awarded at a gala performance featuring some of the biggest names in comedy. The program will premiere exclusively on Netflix, with a streaming date to be announced.
“For nearly three decades, the Mark Twain Prize has celebrated some of the greatest minds in comedy,” said Roma Daravi, Vice President of Public Relations. “For even longer, Bill has been influencing American discourse – one politically incorrect joke at a time.”
“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,” said Bill Maher. “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.”
The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recognizes individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, colloquially known as Mark Twain. As a social commentator, satirist, and creator of characters, Clemens was a fearless observer of society who delighted and informed onlookers with his uncompromising perspective on society and personal folly. The event was created by Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz, and John Schreiber.
As a recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Maher will receive a copy of an 1884 bronze portrait bust of Mark Twain sculpted by Karl Gerhardt (1853–1940). Previous recipients of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize are Richard Pryor (1998), Jonathan Winters (1999), Carl Reiner (2000), Whoopi Goldberg (2001), Bob Newhart (2002), Lily Tomlin (2003), Lorne Michaels (2004), Steve Martin (2005), Neil Simon (2006), Billy Crystal (2007), George Carlin (2008), Bill Cosby (2009; rescinded in 2018), Tina Fey (2010), Will Ferrell (2011), Ellen DeGeneres (2012), Carol Burnett (2013), Jay Leno (2014), Eddie Murphy (2015), Bill Murray (2016), David Letterman (2017), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2018), Dave Chappelle (2019), Jon Stewart (2022), Adam Sandler (2023), Kevin Hart (2024), and Conan O’Brien (2025).
About Bill Maher
For more than twenty-five years, Bill Maher has set the boundaries of where funny, political talk can go on American television. First on “Politically Incorrect” (Comedy Central, ABC, 1993-2002), and for more than twenty years on HBO’s “Real Time,” Bill’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 42 Emmy nominations. Bill won his first Emmy in 2014 as executive producer for the HBO series, “VICE.” In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, “Religulous,” directed by Larry Charles (“Borat”).
In naming him the 14th most influential person in media for 2025, Mediaite noted that "In the age of independent-minded content creators, Maher can be easily recognized as a pioneer – and one of the only independents who continues to thrive. His show also remains a coveted spot for any political commentator and heck, who else can say that he is regularly cited in a positive light by both Fox and MS NOW?" Those guests have included President Barack Obama, then Vice President Joseph Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Howard Stern, Elon Musk, Barbra Streisand, Kerry Washington, Steve Martin & Martin Short, Megyn Kelly, Ronan Farrow, Howard Dean, Michael Moore, Eva Longoria, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jim Carrey, Sen. Ted Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Gary Hart and Pat Buchanan.
Most recently, Bill released his blockbuster, New York Times bestselling book “What This Comedian Said Will Shock You.” (Simon & Schuster) A brilliantly astute and acerbically funny vivisection of American life, politics, and culture, it is Maher’s first book in more than a decade. He has written five bestsellers: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden,” “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” and, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass.”
In 2022, Bill launched a new podcast, “Club Random with Bill Maher.” The podcast records at the bar on his property in Los Angeles, called Club Random, where he hosts hour-long, one-on-one interviews with a wide range of eclectic guests. Each episode features free flowing, long-form conversations about anything and everything. Guests have included David Mamet, Margaret Cho, John Mellencamp, Ice Cube, Jon Hamm, Olivia Culpo, Sean Penn and many more. Within a week of launching, the podcast hit #1 on Apple Podcasts. Regarding Club Random, Mediaite proclaimed, “Maher is one of the few people in media to achieve true multi-platform success. By establishing himself as a brand, Maher’s podcast Club Random has become a destination, jam-packed with big name celebrities, journalists, comics, and politicians. And importantly, often the names that won’t get a one-on-one anywhere else.”
He started his career as a stand-up comedian in 1979 and has been recognized with numerous Emmy nominations for his stand-up specials for HBO. He’s done 13 solo specials for the premium cable channel including, “Bill Maher: Be More Cynical” (2000), “I’m Swiss” (2005), “Bill Maher … But I’m Not Wrong” (2010), “Bill Maher: Live From Oklahoma“ (2018), #Adulting”(2022) and the Golden Globe-nominated “Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?” which is available to stream on HBO Max.
He was born in New York City, raised in River Vale, N.J., and went to Cornell University. Bill now resides in Los Angeles.
About The Trump Kennedy Center
The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts is America’s living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, attracting millions of visitors each year to more than 2,000 performances, events, and exhibits. With its artistic affiliate, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Center is one of the nation’s most prestigious performing arts centers, dedicated to providing world-class art, powerful education, and outstanding memorial experiences to the broadest possible constituency.
To learn more about the Center, please visit our website.
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