Bill Maher Receives 27th Mark Twain Prize as Trump Pushback Shadows Kennedy Center
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 29
Bill Maher Receives 27th Mark Twain Prize as Trump Pushback Shadows Kennedy Center
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 29
Summary
Bill Maher accepted the 27th Mark Twain Prize on Sunday at the Kennedy Center, capping a gala that went ahead despite earlier Trump administration opposition to honoring him.
Karoline Leavitt had said in March that Maher would "NOT" get the award, but the Kennedy Center later confirmed the tribute and staged a ceremony featuring Jay Leno, Whitney Cummings and Woody Harrelson.
Maher largely avoided a direct anti-Trump broadside in his speech, instead framing himself as a comic who exposes phonies and thanking "the haters" after 42 Emmy nominations and one win.
The venue's own turmoil still hung over the night: a federal judge in May blocked a planned 2-year closure and ruled Trump's addition to the Kennedy Center name was illegal; the center has appealed.
That uncertainty extends beyond the ceremony, with only one more Concert Hall event listed and no scheduled events from August onward before the show streams on Netflix on July 21.