By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Conan O’Brien takes home the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday but the spotlight will be as much on the Kennedy Center, where he will be accepting the prize, as the Emmy-winning comedian himself.
O’Brien, who joins a long list of high-profile humorists who have received the award, will be celebrated at an evening show with tributes and jokes by a slew of comic greats that will be broadcast at a later date on Netflix.
The show is the first signature event at the Kennedy Center since its takeover by President Donald Trump, who last month announced he would become chairman of the institution, pushing out billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein.
Trump dismissed board members appointed by former President Joe Biden and installed officials loyal to him. He handed leadership reins for the facility to Richard Grenell, a close Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany who is serving as envoy for special missions in the current administration.
The new board, which includes White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance, fired its former president, Deborah Rutter. Trump visited the center last week and declared it in “tremendous disrepair.”
Along with the annual Kennedy Center Honors in December, the Mark Twain Prize is one of the premier events at the renowned arts institution, complete with red carpet arrivals for its performers and stars.
Trump is not slated to attend the event on Sunday and did not attend any of the Honors performances during his first term. But his presence is likely to loom over the evening.
O’Brien hosted the Oscars earlier this month and is slated to come back in the emcee role next year. He was the host of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” on NBC and “Conan” on TBS. He is a former writer for “Saturday Night Live.”
Previous winners of the Mark Twain Prize include Kevin Hart, Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Carol Burnett.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Chris Reese)
