Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is a prize for comedians. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts awards this prize every year. They first gave this prize in 1998. It is named after Mark Twain. Mark Twain was an American author. The Mark Twain Prize is America’s foremost award for humor.
Mark Twain Prize winners
- 1998 - Richard Pryor
- 1999 - Jonathan Winters
- 2000 - Carl Reiner
- 2001 - Whoopi Goldberg
- 2002 - Bob Newhart
- 2003 - Lily Tomlin
- 2004 - Lorne Michaels
- 2005 - Steve Martin
- 2006 - Neil Simon
- 2007 - Billy Crystal
- 2008 - George Carlin
- 2009 - Bill Cosby
- 2010 - Tina Fey
- 2011 - Will Ferrell
- 2012 - Ellen DeGeneres
- 2013 - Carol Burnett
- 2014 - Jay Leno
- 2015 - Eddie Murphy
- 2016 - Bill Murray
- 2017 - David Letterman
- 2018 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- 2019 - Dave Chappelle
- 2020–2021 - Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2022 - Jon Stewart
- 2023 - Adam Sandler
Mark Twain Prize For American Humor Media
Venue, the Kennedy Center
President Barack Obama with Will Ferrell and Viveca Paulin in 2011
President Obama with awardee Carol Burnett in 2013
Richard Pryor (1986) (cropped)
Jonathan Winters - publicity
Publicity photo of Carl Reiner
Whoopi Goldberg at a NYC No on Proposition 8 Rally
SI Neg. 2002-22477.08a. Date: 10/30/2002...Comedian Bob Newhart, recipient of the 2002 Kennedy Center Mark Twain Award for American Humor, speaking at the National Press Club. ..Credit: Jim Wallace (Smithsonian Institution)
Comedienne Lily Tomlin smiles after receiving her Kennedy Center Honors medallion at a dinner hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on December 6, 2014. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
Lorne Michaels at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
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Other websites
- Mark Twain Prize from the Kennedy Center website
- Mark Twain Prize from the PBS website
