Bill Maher received the Mark Twain Award at the Kennedy Center today

[Wiz Imp]

19. Only Comedians Willing to Honor Bill Maher Revealed

Last edited Mon Jun 29, 2026, 08:52 AM - Edit history (1)

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/few-comedians-willing-to-honor-bill-maher-for-mark-twain-prize-announced/

Maher, 70, will be celebrated as comedy’s best humorist on June 28 by a group headlined by disgraced comedian Louis C.K., former Tonight Show host Jay Leno (a previous recipient), and comedian Whitney Cummings, according to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter.

Maher’s panel is the least comedy-driven in the show’s history, with its three comedians totaling less than half the Mark Twain Prize’s average of eight.

By contrast, Conan O’Brien, who won the award last year, was honored by a murderer’s row of comedians including three former Mark Twain Prize recipients, David Letterman, Will Ferrell, and Adam Sandler, in addition to comedians John Mulaney, Stephen Colbert, Nikki Glaser, Bill Burr, and Sarah Silverman, among others.

Even comedian George Carlin’s posthumous ceremony in 2008—at which Maher presented—was hosted by an array of heavy hitters, including Jon Stewart, Joan Rivers, Lily Tomlin, Garry Shandling, Margaret Cho, Lewis Black, and Denis Leary.

Tells you how other comedians feel about Maher at this point.