Comedian Bill Maher wins Twain humor prize as the Kennedy Center navigates Trump-era upheaval

Bill Maher arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, March 15, 2026, in Los Angeles.

WASHINGTON — Comedian Bill Maher was being awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday in what might be one of the last major onstage moments at the Kennedy Center for the next several years.

The award has been presented since 1998 as a way to recognize those who have made significant contributions to humor and commentary in the United States. Previous winners include Conan O’Brien, Dave Chappelle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Letterman, Carol Burnett and Tina Fey.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Maher called the prize a great honour.

“Who doesn’t like awards and wouldn’t want to be compared to Mark Twain, especially for what I do?” he said. “And, you know, they’ve had a lot of amazing winners who I’m huge fans of. Not all of them are anything like Mark Twain. I am at least somewhat like Mark Twain. ... He took on both sides.”

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has spent much of his second term reshaping the performing arts venue, didn’t attend. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was the most prominent member of the administration in attendance. Other political guests included Paul Dans, who helped shape the Republican Project 2025 agenda. Some Democrats were in attendance, including Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

Actor Woody Harrelson, businesswoman Arianna Huffington, sports analyst Stephen A. Smith and comedian Jay Leno were among the celebrities appearing at the ceremony.

The future of the Kennedy Center hung over the event. Shortly after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, the Republican president fired much of the center’s leadership and installed a board largely composed of allies. It named Trump as chairman and his name was added to the building’s iconic facade, prompting a legal battle that became a proxy fight over the extent of the president’s power.

Trump later said the Kennedy Center would close in July for a two-year renovation. But U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper upended those plans in May by ruling that Trump’s name was illegally added to the building, ordering it removed. The judge also has blocked the closure.

A legal saga that could be fodder for jokes

The legal fight has turned into a saga that could be easy fodder for jokes at the Twain gala.

Trump’s name has come down from the building, in compliance with the judge’s order. But the part of the building once covered with letters spelling the president’s name is now shrouded in a tarp. The full closure is on hold. Lawyers for the Kennedy Center have said they are not planning for now to build out programming.

Cooper has asked for an update next month on how long the tarp will remain on the building. For now, the final event scheduled for the Kennedy Center’s well-known Concert Hall is “The Freedom Gathering: A Musical Celebration” on July 3.

Ahead of the ceremony, Lutnick said Trump “wants to make this building sensational.”

But others were more skeptical. As he walked the red carpet ahead of the ceremony, Leno said Trump’s moves at the Kennedy Center were both “hilarious” and about “vanity.”

“It’s not a war,” he said. “It’s not people getting killed. It’s not anti Semitism. It’s a silly thing covering a name. I mean what’s funnier than that? I mean it’s just like, you know it’s high school with money.”

Maher and Trump have a fraught relationship

Given Trump’s sway over the Kennedy Center, Maher’s selection for the award was notable because the two men have long had a fraught relationship.

Before he entered politics, Trump filed a $5 million lawsuit against Maher in 2013 for breach of contract. Appearing on Leno’s “The Tonight Show,” Maher said he would give $5 million to the charity of Trump’s choice if Trump could prove he was not “the spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.”

Trump claimed that when he provided his birth certificate, Maher did not pay up, prompting the lawsuit. Trump ended up dropping it.

The Trump-Maher relationship exploded again earlier this year, when the president claimed on social media that he wasted time sitting down for a meal with the comedian last year.

Maher hosted Vice President JD Vance on his show heading into the weekend. Vance, who is promoting a book, said he watches the show and laughed at Maher’s monologue “even though you were making fun of me.” During the interview, Maher pressed Vance on the Iran war, immigration enforcement and election conspiracy theories.

“You guys have two outcomes that an election can be,” Maher told Vance. “Either we win or they cheated. That s—- has to stop.”

The Twain prize ceremony will air on Netflix on July 21.

Associated Press video journalist John Carucci contributed to this report.

Steven Sloan, The Associated Press