Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Review 2025 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
The Kennedy Center has awarded The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor since 1998 to recognize comedians and people in the funny business for their impact on American society.
“For four decades, Conan O’Brien, has brought his unique blend of the smart, silly, insightful, and hilarious into our homes,” said Deborah F. Rutter, then-President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “From Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons—including the unbelievably funny monorail episode—to late night, podcasts, and all things Team Coco, Conan is a master of invention and reinvention, consistently pushing the envelope in search of new comedic heights. I look forward to honoring his immense legacy and enduring impact with an uproarious evening in the Concert Hall on March 23.” Rutter announced the prize on Jan. 16. Trump took office on Jan. 20, dismissed her days later and installed himself as head of the center.
Past Twain Prize winners Will Ferrell (2011), David Letterman (2017), and Adam Sandler (2023) showed up to honor O’Brien anyhow, along with John Mulaney, Nikki Glaser, Bill Burr, Kumail Nanjiani, Andy Richter, Stephen Colbert, Tracy Morgan, Reggie Watts a filmed bit with Fred Armisen as a Harvard dean, O’Brien’s TV band led by drummer Max Weinberg, plus appearances by past Late Night characters such as the Masturbating Bear, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (Robert Smigel), The Interrupter (Brian Stack), Paul Rudd, Will Forte as Twain, and even Hot Ones host Sean Evans.
On his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, O’Brien asked and answered “the question of, ‘Should I go, should I not go?’” And he explained that he felt like he should honor the “old regime” who had picked him, as well as the people who worked at the Kennedy Center. “It just felt like this is not a normal event, and we all need to be on our toes and be funny, but also bring some optimism,” he said.
That they did.
The millennial comedians all reminded us just how influential O’Brien was for inspiring a generation of creatively funny kids, including Mulaney, Glaser and Nanjiani. Watts, normally an absurdist, turned sweetly sincere in thanking O’Brien for bringing him along as the opening act on Team Coco’s “The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour” years before Watts ended up being part of the late-night TV pantheon himself.
And unlike last year’s event, which felt more like a roast of Hart than a tribute, this year’s ceremony turned all of its zingers on Trump and his administration.
Mulaney joked of The Kennedy Center: “Or as it will be known next week: The Roy Cohn Pavilion for Big Strong Men Who Love Cats.” Ferrell cracked: “I’m supposed to be shutting down the Department of Education.” Burr said:“There’s something about, you know, starting and prolonging wars while crushing the working man for your own self-interest that really inspires all who gather on this fertile ground.” Silverman noted: “I just really miss the days when you were America’s only orange asshole.” And Letterman claimed: “I’m not a historian, but I believe that history will show this will have been the most entertaining gathering of the resistance ever.”
For his part, O’Brien started off his acceptance speech by remembering a time when he wasn’t so successful, sitting in an L.A. diner, two years out of college, unemployed, and only dreaming of a destiny where he could write for Letterman. He touchingly thanked his parents, “who missed witnessing this by three months. They would’ve absolutely loved this.” And he somehow remained humble yet humorous throughout. Samuel Clemens would’ve been proud. I say that because anyone with a lick of humor will be inspired watching O’Brien then or now.
