Conan O’Brien’s night at the Kennedy Center was a career-spanning love fest—with some pointed remarks that spoke to the moment.
O’Brien accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor last night—an honor that had been announced earlier this year, but had been something of a question mark amid turbulent times at the Kennedy Center.
The event brought together a wide lineup of O’Brien’s peers, influences, and employees, many of whom took the stage to honor the former late-night host.
Not all of them were real people: the show kicked off with an appearance by one of Late Night with Conan O’Brien’s best known characters, the Masturbating Bear.
Then, ushered in by announcer Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (aka Robert Smigel), the ceremony welcomed regular guests of O’Brien’s shows like Will Ferrell, Nikki Glaser, Tracy Morgan, Kumail Nanjiani, Adam Sandler, and Reggie Watts. Comedians Bill Burr, John Mulaney, Sarah Silverman, and Nikki Glaser also spoke. (Writer Brian Stack’s Late Night staple The Interrupter also inserted himself into the festivities during Silverman’s stage time.)
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert also took to the stage, joined by Hot Ones host Sean Evans and an obligatory wing setup. (In addition to becoming increasingly a part of the late-night community, Evans has long cited Conan O’Brien as an influence on Hot Ones. Bringing things full circle, O’Brien’s guest appearance on Hot Ones helped kick off a new wave of appreciation for the late-night veteran’s past work.)
But perhaps the most touching aspect of the night was the reunion of those who O’Brien forged his late-night legacy alongside. O’Brien was also fêted by his righthand man, longtime sidekick and announcer Andy Richter. In addition to Smigel, attendees included Jordan Schlansky, Sona Movsesian, Mike Sweeney, and Brian McCann—who dressed as his Late Night character the FedEx Pope.
O’Brien accepted the award from the man who paved the way for his career, both by influencing his comedic sensibilities, and by creating then vacating the Late Night franchise: David Letterman.
“To be handed this award by David Letterman is, to be honest, very hard for me to comprehend,” O’Brien said.
“I’m not a historian, but I believe that history will show… this will have been the most entertaining gathering of the resistance ever,” Letterman had told the crowd during his introduction.
That comment was addressing an elephant in the Kennedy Center last night. As President Donald Trump took over the arts institution himself and terminated multiple board members, the new regime cancelled performances by The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C. and the children’s musical Finn. Meanwhile, a number of scheduled performers have cancelled visits themselves in protest, including Broadway hit Hamilton and comedian Issa Rae.
But O’Brien’s ceremony survived the sweeping changes—something O’Brien addressed on the red carpet before yesterday’s ceremony.
“It’s a personal decision what everybody wants to do, but my decision was that there’s a lot of people that work here at the Kennedy Center,” O’Brien told The Hill’s Judy Kurtz. “They work hard to promote the arts, and so I want to be here in that spirit.”
“Only [Trump] knows his priorities best. There’s a lot going on in the world, but probably taking control of the Kennedy Center should be at the top of the list,” he added.
O’Brien also took aim at Trump in his acceptance speech by invoking the award’s namesake. “Twain hated bullies,” O’Brien said. “He punched up, not down, and he deeply empathized with the weak.”
“Twain was allergic to hypocrisy and he loathed racism,” he continued. “Twain loved America, but he knew it was deeply flawed.”
Another Twain line he quoted: “Patriotism is supporting your country all of the time and your government when it deserves it.”
O’Brien also acknowledged the Kennedy Center’s recent turmoil, thanking former president Deborah Rutter and former board chair David Rubenstein. “They’re the reason I’m here,” he said of the former board members who had overseen his selection as this year’s recipient of the Twain Prize. “Honestly, I don’t know why they aren’t here tonight. I lost Wifi in January.” He went on to acknowledge Kennedy Center staffers “who are worried about what the future might bring.”
More direct remarks about Trump were made by presenters like Colbert, Mulaney, and Silverman—the latter of whom told O’Brien she misses “the days when you were America’s only orange asshole.”
Colbert used his and Evans’ display of hot wings as another opportunity to skewer Trump. “In light of the new leadership at the Kennedy Center,” said Colbert, “all of these are right wings.”
Also speaking to the moment, O’Brien wrapped up the ceremony by breaking out his guitar for a rousing rendition of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” alongside Adam Sandler… and, naturally, a group of dancing Mark Twains.
That wasn’t the only big musical moment of the night. O’Brien’s Late Night bandleader Max Weinberg reunited that show’s house band, the Max Weinberg 7, to provide music—complete with a “Max Weinberg 7”-branded drum kit.
Will Forte, Jake Tapper, Seth Herzog, and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos were also in attendance. The night prior, O’Brien was honored at a private dinner, where he was toasted by more of his friends and colleagues, including Richter, Movsesian, Sweeney, executive producer Jeff Ross, and TV writer Amy Lippman.
The Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony will begin streaming on Netflix on May 4.
