{"id":2583980,"date":"2026-03-26T09:23:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bill-maher-to-get-kennedy-center-comedy-award-after-white-house-denial\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:24:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:24:40","slug":"bill-maher-to-get-kennedy-center-comedy-award-after-white-house-denial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bill-maher-to-get-kennedy-center-comedy-award-after-white-house-denial\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Maher to get Kennedy Center comedy award after White House denial"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbill-maher-to-get-kennedy-center-comedy-award-after-white-house-denial%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2583980&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Bill Maher is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center in June, despite a White House denial that he would be honored. The Kennedy Center defended the choice, saying Maher has significantly influenced American discourse, wiht a PR executive noting his three decades of impact, \u201cone <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jay-leno-seems-to-defend-cancel-culture-you-either-change-with-the-times-or-you-die\/\" title=\"Jay Leno Seems To Defend Cancel Culture: \u2018You Either Change With The ...s Or You Die\u2019\">politically incorrect joke<\/a> at a time.\u201d Maher accepted the award in a humor-filled statement, joking that it\u2019s like an Emmy but he wins.<\/p>\n<p>The honor, which recognizes individuals who have shaped American society much like Mark twain, will be presented June 28 during a Netflix program featuring various comedians. Maher, the 70-year-old host of HBO\u2019s Real Time and a frequent Trump critic, joins past recipients such as Kevin Hart, Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, and Dave Chappelle. The article also mentions controversy around the announcement, noting leaks to outlets like The Atlantic before a final decision. It briefly touches Maher\u2019s recent criticism of Iran and related political headlines, including Trump\u2019s related interactions with Maher and a Kennedy Center controversy over building plans.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Bill Maher to get Kennedy Center comedy award despite White House denial<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2542924\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Comedian <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-maher\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"225\">Bill Maher<\/a> will receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center in June, the center announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>However, when it was reported that Maher was slated to receive the honor, White House press secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/karoline-leavitt\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11685\">Karoline Leavitt<\/a> called it &ldquo;fake news.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4502846\/stephen-colbert-co-writing-new-lord-of-the-rings-film-with-son\/\">Stephen Colbert co-writing new Lord of the Rings film with his son<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4502708\/late-night-comedy-butt-of-joke\/\">Late-night comedy is the real butt of the joke: Joe Concha<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4502090\/schumer-not-praise-trump-ruin-iran-militia-left-base-guy-benson\/\">Schumer can&#8217;t praise Trump degrading Iran military due to &#8216;left-wing base&#8217;: Guy Benson<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>A person with knowledge of the award recipient prior to the announcement told <em>Politico<\/em> that reports that Maher would receive the prize were leaked before the decision was finalized.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Anonymous sources with <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >half-baked information leaked<\/a> to <em>The Atlantic<\/em> before conversations were finalized,&rdquo; the person said. &ldquo;There was nothing to confirm at the time and it is not appropriate to get ahead of any settled agreement between multiple parties involved.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The center said it chose Maher because of his contributions to American conversations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For nearly three decades, the Mark Twain Prize has celebrated some of the greatest minds in comedy,&rdquo; Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations, said in a press release. &ldquo;For even longer, Bill has been influencing American discourse &ndash; one politically incorrect joke at a time.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In a comedy-laced statement, Maher accepted the award.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I just had the award explained to me, and apparently it&rsquo;s like an Emmy, except I win,&rdquo; Maher said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d just like to say that it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who&rsquo;s been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The 70-year-old host of HBO&rsquo;s <em>Real Time<\/em>, and frequent critic of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>, will receive the award June 28 during a program to be aired on Netflix featuring a host of other comedians.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Other recipients of the prestigious award include Kevin Hart, Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, and Dave Chappelle. The award is presented to &ldquo;individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, colloquially known as Mark Twain.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Maher sharply criticized the president&rsquo;s handling of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iran&rsquo;s<\/a> continued attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, saying, &ldquo;the administration seems to be caught off guard that if you attack a country, they might use their best asset for leverage.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4500462\/trump-kennedy-center-lawsuit-preservationists-legacy-in-peril\/\"><strong>TRUMP SUED OVER KENNEDY CENTER PLANS AS PRESERVATIONISTS WARN LEGACY &lsquo;IN PERIL&rsquo;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trump had invited Maher to dinner at the White House in 2025, after which the comedian said Trump is much different in person than he appears on television.<\/p>\n<p>However, Trump, a year later, shared a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4458496\/trump-says-dinner-with-bill-maher-was-a-waste-of-time\/\">much different account<\/a> of his time with Maher, saying Maher was a &ldquo;jerk&rdquo; who had &ldquo;zero confidence&rdquo; during their dinner, but also added that the two had a &ldquo;great dinner.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maher to win Mark Twain Prize; White House denies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2583981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Bill-Maher.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[69387,76573,74131,75258,76574],"class_list":["post-2583980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-bill-maher-2","tag-comedy-award","tag-entertainment-news-2","tag-kennedy-center-2","tag-white-house-denial"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Bill-Maher.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2583980"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2583984,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583980\/revisions\/2583984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2583981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2583980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2583980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2583980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}