Bill Maher Will Be Awarded Mark Twain Prize—White House Explains Recent Denial

Real Time host Bill Maher has been double-secret officially announced as the 27th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which is presented by the recently renamed Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Maher will thus be the prize’s last recipient ahead of the Trump Kennedy Center’s planned two-year renovation.

Speaking of Trump… no, you are not mistaken. It was less than a week ago that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed The Atlantic‘s report of Maher at least being offered the honor, saying, “This is fake news. Bill Maher will NOT be getting this award.” White House comms director Steve Cheung similarly said on X, “Literally FAKE NEWS.”

In a statement to CNN and others, the White House explained the mixed messaging thusly: “This was false reporting at the time of The Atlantic’s reporting, but the situation changed after further conversations took place between The Trump Kennedy Center and event organizers over the past week.”

Roma Daravi, VP of PR for the Trump Kennedy Center, said in the official press release dated March 26, “For nearly three decades, the Mark Twain Prize has celebrated some of the greatest minds in comedy. For even longer, Bill has been influencing American discourse—one politically incorrect joke at a time.”

In a statement, Maher said, “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. 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.”

Awarded annually since 1998 (save for two pandemic years), the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is one of comedy’s top awards, recognizing individuals whose contributions and impact echo its eponymous 19th-century writer and satirist.

Maher is the fifth late-night host to earn the honor, following Conan O’Brien (in 2025), Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Jon Stewart. Past recipients also include a number of former Saturday Night Live cast members, as well as SNL creator Lorne Michaels.

Maher began his comedy career in 1979, as a host and stand-up comic at Catch a Rising Star in New York City. He’d get his break a few years later, when he started appearing on late-night programs such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman.

In 1993, Maher was named host of the Emmy- and Cable ACE Award-winning Comedy Central/ABC debate show Politically Incorrect. The program was famously canceled in 2002 in the wake of controversial remarks Maher made about the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Maher launched Real Time With Bill Maher on HBO in 2003, retaining much of the panel discussion format of Politically Incorrect. Now in its 24th season and airing Fridays at 10 p.m. ET, Real Time is renewed through Season 26.

To date, Maher has also headlined no fewer than 13 stand-up comedy specials—most recently Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?, which aired on HBO in January 2025.

This year’s Mark Twain Prize will be awarded at the Trump Kennedy Center at a gala performance on June 28. The program will stream exclusively on Netflix, on a date to be announced.