Comedian and Trump critic Bill Maher on Sunday received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a Washington institution currently entangled in a legal battle over President Donald Trump’s effort to overhaul it.
The center, which Trump has sought to put his stamp on, was set to temporarily close its doors for a yearslong renovation but is now faced with difficult financial choices after a judge ordered it to continue operating.
Uncertainty at the Kennedy Center
Plummeting ticket sales, artist withdrawals, political controversies, and a diminished staff have made restarting a full-scale programming schedule a challenge, multiple sources familiar with the operation previously told CNN.
Maher noted the potential closure during remarks on the red carpet before the event, saying, “This is the last show here for at least two years.”
“It is a beautiful building. They keep talking about how they need to renovate. It looks perfectly fine to me. I don’t see one thing that needs a single thing changed,” he said.
The performing arts center has been at the center of Trump’s remaking of Washington, DC — and the limits he faces in enacting his wishes.
Two weeks ago, the Kennedy Center complied with a judge’s order in removing Trump’s name from the building, which was added by the president’s handpicked board of trustees.
The administration has told the court the name is gone — but a tarp still covers the spot where it hung, leaving the removal hidden from public view.
“Finally, an award from my dear friend, ironically at the Trump Kennedy Center. No — oh right, we fixed that,” actor Woody Harrelson quipped onstage during the Sunday event.
Maher has been a target of the president’s ire, but also dined with Trump at the White House in 2025.
The comedian praised the president after the dinner, though their relationship has remained tense.
In February, Trump called Maher a “jerk,” dismissed their 2025 White House dinner as “a total waste of time,” and said the comedian suffers from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
“I’d rather be fighting and yelling — that’s his way of talking,” Maher told CNN on the red carpet ahead of the event.
“I’d rather the channels be open; anything is better than the channels being shut off.”
The White House in March initially denied that the comedian would be awarded the honor, which is an annual lifetime achievement award given by the Kennedy Center.
“Believe me, when they asked me and called and said, ‘Would you accept this?’ I did not have to ask twice.
Of course, after the president tried to get the show canceled, they actually did have to ask twice,” Maher joked during his speech.
As Maher was accepting his award, he was “interrupted” by the president — or rather, comedian Matt Friend’s portrayal of him.
“Why are we giving this low-ratings, lightweight jerk the Mark Twain Award?” Friend joked, repeating insults the president has used against Maher.
The “Real Time with Bill Maher” host joins a list of past honorees that includes Richard Pryor, Carol Burnett, Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart, and Conan O’Brien.
The 27th annual ceremony, which will premiere on Netflix on July 21, featured guests including Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Jay Leno, and John Mellencamp, many of whom made jokes revolving around Trump.
“President Trump not happy about Bill getting this award.
You think he’s mad now? Really, finds out next year the recipient is Bad Bunny,” Leno joked, referring to the Puerto Rican rapper, whom Trump has criticized.
Guests on the red carpet, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of comedy in the divided political environment.
“Just because we are on opposite sides of the aisle, doesn’t mean we don’t relate to the opposite side from time to time,” radio host Stephen A. Smith told CNN.
“When either side gets mad at me because I put them in jokes — jokes that work — my lesson to that is simple: You want to not get mocked, stop being funny,” Maher said in his speech.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
