WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bill Maher won the Kennedy Center’s Mark Train Award for American Humor on Sunday in a casual, candid affair that blended praise, insight and easygoing spiel from a gathering of colleagues and celebrities.
The event, now in its 27th year and held at the Kennedy Center, celebrated, among other things, Maher’s intellect, wide range of interests, interview skill, and loyalty to his audience. As always, recipients and guests observed the proceedings right in front of the audience from a side box near the Kennedy Center Concert Hall stage.
Participants for the night included Louis CK, Whitney Cummings, Woody Harrelson, Arianna Huffington, Jay Leno, John Mellencamp, Matt Friend, and Stephen A. Smith. Katie Couric narrated one of the many videos featuring highlights from Maher’s long career, from Comedy Central’s Politically Incorrect to HBO’s timeless talk series Real Time with Bill Maher. The musical director for the evening was producer and composer Cheche Alara. The event will be aired as a TV special on Netflix, scheduled to air on July 21st.
Indeed, Maher’s witty wit and spontaneous remarks as a talk show host were the central theme of the parade of friends praising the award recipient. With a few exceptions, they avoided mentioning Donald Trump’s current politics. Even though the Twain Awards were the only event in an otherwise empty arts facility thanks to him.
Instead, Trump-related antics became the show’s high point. When Mr. Maher took the stage to accept his award from 2014 winner Mr. Leno, an impressionist friend from the audience stood up and interrupted the proceedings. Friend, who played the argumentative President Trump, complained about Ma’s attendance at a dinner with Trump at the White House in 2025, a topic Cummings mentioned and which Ma defended in a comedic exchange with Friend.
As expected, attendees enthusiastically praised the award winners. Cummings described him as a “warrior for quality and justice,” and Louis CK recalled an unexpected friendship with Maher that developed during a difficult period in his career. Harrelson also praised Maher’s acumen and resourcefulness as “the ultimate contrarian,” mentioned several times the names of the dispensaries they mutually run in Los Angeles, and praised their longtime friendship, especially their mutual love of cannabis.
Huffington said her first appearance on “Politically Incorrect” led to a “long and deep friendship” with Maher. She described Maher as “the most loyal friend. When you’re with him, you forget all your problems and just laugh. Mark Twain would have loved you, too.” ESPN host Smith echoed her sentiments, explaining that “Bill is always down to earth” and that “his greatest gift is courage.” Smith said Maher illustrated the lyrics to Paul Anka’s song “My Way,” and then proceeded to read a line from the song.
Other highlights included opening music by musician Arara and his band and Mellencamp performing “Small Town” and “Pink Houses” at the honoree’s request. Maher concluded his acceptance by saying he’s never been too attached to collecting prize hardware. “If I had to choose between the 41 Emmys I lost and the fans, I would choose the fans every time,” Marr said.
The reaction in Washington, D.C., to President Trump’s unpopular “takeover” of the Kennedy Center last year was clear. The normally sold-out Twain event, an important fundraiser for the institution, drew a much smaller audience than usual. Furthermore, even though President Trump was not in attendance, security was extremely tight, with a large police presence and metal detectors.
